Horizons
by cerealkiller49
Summary: GGXX. Millia struggles to escape the grasp of her past while Ky discovers that the justice he fights for might not be so just after all. Old enmities rise anew and dark machinations are set afoot. Two struggling souls find strength and more together.
1. Prologue

**Tentatively titled 'Horizons' for now, but I'll change it once I figure out a more suitable title. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Prologue**

 _They lie together, a layer of sweat still covering their bodies. The cool night air is pleasant against their exposed shoulders. Outside, the ambient song of insects drift through the window, along with the crescent moon's light._

 _Millia shuts her eyes. Her body is tired but satisfied, and the arms of her lover hold her close. She wants nothing more than to let sleep take her to the sweet land of dreams, but something weighs heavily on her mind._

 _Shifting so that she faces her lover, Millia observes his face for a moment before speaking._

 _"Hey, Zato. Do you think assassins like us can find happiness?"_

 _"Happiness? Why do you bring this up so suddenly?"_

 _"I was just thinking... An assassin's path is to walk in the Night. We can be successful, even obtain glory, but happiness? That might be something we can never obtain."_

 _"Why would that be?"_

 _"Happiness is a choice we must make. It can only exist because failure and unhappiness exists. We are agents of unhappiness, spreading death and sadness with our lives._ _We are the antithesis of happiness. That is why we assassins can only walk the path of an assassin."_

 _"There might be another path, you know?" Zato shifts to support his head with one arm._

 _"What are you saying? With the kind of body you have?" The blonde pokes at her lover's blindfold which covers his permanently ruined eyes._

 _"Millia...don't you want to create a time of happiness with me?"_

Something is wrong.

 _"Won't you stay with me, together?"_

Zato's embrace, which once was comforting, is stifling.

 _"Let me show you the path. Greatness and happiness awaits, Millia. Just stay with me."_

No! This isn't what she wants! _Zato's grip tightens, as if trying to confine her._

 _They are drifting apart. Startled, Zato pushes himself onto his knees._

 _"Millia! Where are you? Where have you gone? Why have you left me? Don't you know I love you?"_

 _His voice darkens with anger and hatred._

 _"MILLIA!"_

* * *

The blonde ex-assassin awakens with a start, cold sweat covering her body. Her heart is pounding fast enough to hurt her ribcage. She buries her face in her hands.

"Why must you torment me, even after death?"

It's been a month since her final fight with Zato, and Millia still has not recovered.

Her body may have healed long ago, but mentally she is a mess. Every night for the last month she has had dreams about Zato. The dreams are never quite the same, but they are always about the former leader of the Assassin's Guild. The dreams all follow a basic outline as well. Zato would always say the words that Millia had longed to hear in her assassin days, but never heard: That he wants to be with her, that he loves her. In her dreams, Millia would be pleased, but halfway through, the words turn bitter to her ears, and she wants to run away. The dream would separate them, as if bending to her will and Zato would cry out, at first in search of her, only to turn into angry curses.

The Russian can't understand it. Why is she having these dreams? Zato is dead, she killed him herself. Her hair had punctured his black shield and pierced his heart. If that had not been enough, she had torn out his throat and crushed his skull. The assassin is undeniably dead.

And yet, _something_ in her mind prevents her from moving on. _Something_ tells her that all is not over, and things are only just beginning. _Something_ is rendering her unable to return to her life.

Indeed, she has not re-applied for her old job which she quit to investigate the rumors of a new Commander-Gear, and the IPF reward money for killing Zato is starting to run out. Even so, Millia can't bring herself to live a life of peace and monotony. Just the thought of going through such mundane motions makes her sick.

The blonde leaves her bed to use the bathroom. Her apartment is small, with only one bedroom and a living room and kitchen, but it is sufficient for her needs. As Millia leaves the bathroom, lightning splits the night sky as rain drenches the city. The curtains were drawn in her bedroom, so the light wouldn't make it into there, but the living room is bathed in eerie white light for a split second. Then, as quickly as it came, the light is gone and darkness once again swallows the room.

 _Lightning, huh?_

In an attempt to find out what is bothering her, Millia has been retracing her past throughout the month. She had already mentally sifted through her orphan days, being found by Zato, trained to be a professional killer, her adolescence, her romance with Zato, the calamity in Calroni, her final betrayal of Zato, leading to his imprisonment in dimensional prison, all the way up to the Second Sacred Order Tournament.

The tournament was rather...insignificant, at least to her. Millia had waded through the initial phases of the competition, her cursed hair easily dealing with her opponents. The ex-assassin had been drawn to the tournament due to rumors of Zato being released to participate in the tournament.

Unfortunately, the blonde had been eliminated before she could find out if the rumors were true or not. Millia vividly remembers the fight that caused her elimination, and anger flares through her at the memory of it.

* * *

 _"Miss Rage, I presume?" calls a soft voice. It is reserved and polite, and rather effeminate for a man._

 _Millia turns from the corpse of her last opponent to face her new challenger._

 _The white and blue uniform that covers his body immediately gives away his allegiance to the Sacred Order. The man before her is young, possibly a year younger than her. His blonde hair is kept neat, but not exactly short. His piercing blue eyes shine with conviction and determination. His face is, admittedly, quite handsome. In his right hand is a long sword. Even in the dying light of evening, the weapon glows with a supernatural light._

 _In a small alley like the one they are in right now, such a weapon is deadly. Its reach and the cramped space mean Millia has few options of getting past its guard._

 _"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ky Kiske, your next designated opponent."_

 _Even without an introduction, Millia knows who he is. The legendary commander of the Sacred Knights, who had obtained the highest rank in the Order at the young age of sixteen. His fighting prowess is widely known the assassin circles Millia used to be a part of._

 _"Would you like to take this fight to a more appropriate place?"_

 _Unbelievable. Is he seriously willing to throw away his advantage? Is he stupid? Or just overconfident?_

 _Something about the young man in front of her rubs Millia the wrong way. Maybe it's because he just underestimated her. Maybe it's the self-righteousness in his gaze and posture that seems to ask why she isn't as good as him. Either way, her hair screams at her to kill him and, for once, her mind agrees._

 _"That won't be necessary," states Millia, trying to keep her rage from seeping into her voice. Her hair starts to sway beside her, and Ky settles into a battle position._

 _"So be it. Let us have a good duel."_

 _Millia jumps up. Her hair acts like a propeller behind her, sending her dashing through the air. She brings her foot down in a crushing motion, aimed at Ky's head._

 _She doesn't touch him._

 _Moving as quickly as the lightning he wields, Ky sidesteps the kick and jabs the ex-assassin in the chest as she lands, causing her to careen into the wall. She bounces off the hard surface, head reeling due to the collision. The knight delivers a low kick to Millia's legs, knocking her off balance. While the Russian is trying to not fall over, Ky leaps up and flips, swinging his sword with the rotation of his body. The flat of his blade hits the back of her head, slamming Millia jaw-first into the ground with a sickening_ crunch.

 _"You could've killed me," pants Millia as she rises, spitting blood out of her mouth (and a tooth)._

 _"Enough pointless blood has been shed already," replies Ky grimly. "There need not be any more squandering of precious life. Please give up, Miss Rage. You cannot beat me."_

 _Ridiculous. He should know better than anyone how expendable life is. He fought on the frontlines of the Crusade! And yet, this_ boy _is giving her a lecture on the value of life and talking down at her. She can't stand it._

 _Millia doesn't grace her opponent with a response. Instead, she dashes directly at her foe, her hair swinging. Ky parries two strikes before retaliating with a slash of his own._

 _"Too slow!" yells Millia as she rolls under the sword. She rises with a knee aimed at Ky's gut, planning on running her opponent through with her hair while he's stunned by the blow._

 _She doesn't touch him._

 _Ky jumps over the knee and swings his sword over his shoulders. Green outlines of his weapon remain in the sword's path through the air. Cold steel smashes into her back and energy discharges from Thunderseal into the ex-assassin's body, bouncing her off the ground. With a cry of "stun edge," Ky blasts her away with a bolt of blue lightning._

 _Millia collapses in a pile of smoking flesh. Her mind vehemently demands her body to rise and beat her ever calm opponent into a pulp, but her worn out body cannot move a single muscle._

 _"Why did you hold back?" croaks Millia. "You could've ended this fight—you could've ended me—so much faster if you had not held back."_

 _"Everyone fights for something, Miss Rage," replies Ky, his voice just above a whisper. Is her mind deceiving her, or does his voice carry a hint of guilt? "You're no different. I can see it. You don't take pleasure in striking down your enemies, but you're looking for something-Someone?-so important that you're willing to stain your hands red. I don't know, but you seem very...lost. I hope you find whatever you're looking for. And really, do you expect me to use my full strength against a lady?"_

 _The former Holy Knight turns and walks out of the alley, disappearing into the evening's darkness._

 _"Wait, damn it!" Millia doesn't know why she wants him to stop, to turn around. She doesn't have anything to say to him. Even so, an irrational desire for Ky to stay grips her, and she shouts after him. The knight doesn't return._

 _Overhead, dark clouds gather, drowning out the now-emerging stars. Reckoning is in the air, and Millia feels like a long-awaited confrontation is coming. Perhaps it was for the best that she lost._

* * *

The two of them haven't crossed paths since then, but the name 'Ky Kiske' manages to infuriate Millia like nothing else. Maybe it's his voice, how he talks down to her, as if he's better than her. Maybe it's his eyes that accuse her of sin and inadequacy. She hates people like that, people who think they are better because they obey moral principles. Millia knows that the only reason they act good is because they want to look better than other people. She knows that, inside, they want to be just as bad as they accuse her of being. They are not only hypocrites, but cowards as well, too scared to even voice their desires.

And Ky Kiske, the chief of those cowardly hypocrites dare pretend he's better? Millia knows that his chivalry, his holding back on account of her being a woman, his _kindness_ towards her is for the gratification of his own ego. Just the thought of it enrages her.

Strangely enough, the blonde's eyes start to feel heavy. Odd, she's never been able to go back to sleep after dreaming before. Her nerves had always been too shot to rest. Could it be that focusing her anger at Ky Kiske calmed her down enough to feel sleepy? Ridiculous.

Millia plops back into bed and pulls the covers over her body. Sleep readily takes her back into its arms.

Even as the comforts of sleep whisks her away from reality, Millia can't shake the feeling that something big is about to happen.

* * *

 **Shoutouts to the 'Night of Knives' Drama CD, it really helped me understand the Millia/Zato dynamic. Guilty Gear canon is kinda confusing to me (I only have GGXX), so I hope I haven't broken canon. Eh, the ship already does that, so I won't feel too bad if I do.**

 **Yes, I support Millia/Ky. I'm usually not the shipping kind of person, but Xenriel's Millia/Ky stories have brought me aboard. In terms of romance, it'll be slowburn, as I don't think any strong relationship can be built between these two characters without a lot of development. I'm also not the romance kind of person, so here's to hoping I don't butcher it.**

 **POV will switch between Millia and Ky, but the next two or three chapters should stay in Millia's perspective.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Consciousness slowly returns to Millia.

For once, sleep is comfortable and she wants to stay in the halfway world between slumber and reality for just a few more minutes.

Eventually, however, her stomach reminds her that reality is, well, reality, and that she has issues to attend to.

Sitting upright and rubbing sleep out of her eyes, Millia yawns and stretches her arms. Her room is dark due to her drawn curtains and, undoubtedly, the dark clouds that cover the skies. It has been raining for the past week, and last night's storm indicates that the precipitation will not end soon. A clock hanging from the far wall lets her know that it is a few minutes past nine. It has been a long time since Millia has slept so soundly till such a late hour.

The blonde ex-assassin gives a final yawn before climbing out of bed and pulling back the drapes. The sun, though obscured, manages to shine through the clouds, bathing her with muted golden rays. The cobblestones of the street are wet from last night's rain, and there are big puddles everywhere. The morning's rush hour seems to have ended already, as the streets are relatively empty and peaceful. As warm sunshine invigorates her body, Millia decides that she would like to go on a run this morning. Her stomach grumbles in protest, but she forces it quiet. Years of assassin training has left her with more than enough discipline to ignore a bit of hunger.

 _I haven't had good sleep nor woken up with an appetite nor felt like running since before the dreams began. I wonder what brought this good change?_

Normally, a woman with as much hair as she does would have to comb the tangles and knots out of her bed-head for minutes, possibly even an hour. However, in Millia's case...well, sometimes there are hidden benefits to having a Forbidden Beast live in her hair.

The ex-assassin changes out of her pajamas and into a simple t-shirt and shorts. Grabbing her apartment keys, Millia slips on a pair of runners and heads out.

* * *

Millia slows to a walk as she enters a square with a fountain at its center. She'd really neglected her body for the past month; such a run should not tire her out as much as it has. Breathing in through her mouth and out the nose, the blonde turns into one of the smaller side streets which branch out from the square that leads to a relatively deserted residential area.

Someone had been following her almost immediately after she started the run, and had been following a good distance away. The blonde had done her best to shake her pursuer, but he is persistent and kept up with her. If the person tailing her is so insistent on a confrontation, then Millia would rather have a fight with no one around.

Once she decides there's no one else around, Millia turns around to face her follower. Said person, who had been trying to remain hidden, gives a small squeak before ducking into a side alley. Millia didn't get a good glimpse of the person, but she noticed the small frame and nun headdress. The pursuer is a girl?

"You've been following me all morning," calls out Millia. "You really haven't been subtle about it. You might as well come out and face me."

There is a hesitant pause before the pursuer pokes her face out. A blue and white nun headdress covers long blonde hair, which frames a childish, prepubescent face. Wide blue eyes peek sheepishly at Millia and a dainty mouth quirk upwards in an almost apologetic grin. The girl steps out, revealing her blue and white outfit that only covers her torso and barely any of her legs. What seems to be a single giant handcuff is locked around her waist like a hula hoop. A red yo-yo sticks to the metal hoop as if magnetic.

"As expected of the infamous Miss Millia Rage, I suppose," concedes the pursuer.

"What business do you have with me?"

"I'm Bridget. I'm a bounty hunter." states Bridget simply.

She should have figured. While the IPF has not officially cleared her name from the bounty list (Millia would not allow them), Millia knows that they have been...discouraging people from pursuing and posting bounties on her head as a favor for killing Zato. As a result, she has not had to deal with any pesky bounty hunters for the last month, whereas before it was a weekly task. Still, it was only a matter of time before an especially foolhardy bounty hunter decided to go after her anyways. It's just a shame that such a cute little girl would be the one to do so.

"So I take it you're after whatever bounty is on my head."

"You betcha! Well, here I go!"

With a skip and a hop Bridget heads into battle. Millia frowns. A nice girl like her should be in school. What has driven her to enter the tough life of bounty hunting? For the little girl's sake, Millia will go easy and try not to leave any permanent injuries.

The shorter blonde plucks the yo-yo from her side and flings it at Millia. Now that the toy is speeding towards her, the ex-assassin notices that the yo-yo is a lot bigger than normal ones, and almost certainly weighted with something inside. Millia quickly spins around the projectile, dodging the toy. Strangely enough, the yo-yo stops in midair shortly after passing her. Sunlight glints off a section of string.

 _So she still has control over the toy even after throwing it. To keep the yo-yo completely suspended in midair, though, requires magic and no small amount of skill. Surely, this is no ordinary yo-yo and no ordinary girl._

Bridget continues her charge, converting her forward momentum into a flip. The bounty hunter keeps her legs extended, bringing them both down one after another in a series of crushing kicks. Millia brings her hair up in time to block the hits, but Bridget has already landed in a perfect split and rises quickly enough with a jab to avoid any counterattack. The girl's small fist bounces harmlessly against Millia's hair, however, and the bounty hunter hops backwards to avoid retaliation.

"So you really do have transformable hair," exclaims the girl in awe as she nurses her throbbing hand. "And it's hard as iron too! Yeowie, my hand!"

Millia glares, unamused, at the bounty hunter. _She's not taking this seriously at all. Is she really after my bounty?_ Familiar tinges of annoyance are starting to set in. Perhaps she will not go as easy as she had originally planned.

"But you know, Bridget is going to take your bounty, iron hair or no. Return to me!"

Years of fighting has honed her instincts, allowing Millia to sense things she cannot see. It is this instinct that alerts her to the incoming yo-yo from behind. In a demonstration of her superb reflexes, Millia backflips, barely avoiding the returning yo-yo. Not giving her room to breathe, Bridget rushes in with multiple quick swings of her yo-yo. The red toy moves so quickly it becomes a blur. Millia's hair, however, matches its tempo, blocking the stringed device at every turn.

"Not bad, Miss Millia, but how will you fare against my ultimate two hand technique?"

Bridget pulls back the yo-yo and grabs its string with two hands. She moves both arms in tandem, swinging the yo-yo harder and faster than before. The red plastic of the toy burns with an inner magic that amplifies its speed and power. Even the Forbidden Beast embedded in Millia's hair struggles to keep up with the new pace. In an effort to defend herself, Millia increases the power of her hair, her body shaking and unable to move as hair's tempo increases.

Soon, Bridget ceases her assault and pulls her yo-yo back.

"Wow, you're really good Miss Millia. My arms are really tired; no one has managed to stop my two hand technique! That's a first! But you know, Bridget never fails to catch his bounties, so I'm afraid you're going to face Roger and Bridget's unstoppable duo."

Wait...

"You're a boy?"

"..."

"..."

"Why is everyone always so surprised? Geez!" Bridget puffs her—no; his—cheeks in exasperation, but ends up making him look all the cuter.

"Well, listen here boy. I'm going to atone for my sins my way. I have no interest in going with you to waste away in a prison cell. So you're going to have to forgive me for what I'm going to do."

Millia dashes at the bounty hunter, her hair shooting out like a massive lance. Bridget gives a short yelp before hopping backwards, avoiding getting impaled, and throws his yo-yo out. The toy goes sailing past Millia's shoulder and she continues her assault. The younger blond whips another yo-yo out from behind him and fiddles with the string, forming a star in front of him. Even the string must be enchanted, because the hair that Millia brings down in a crushing blow stops as if colliding with a wall.

"Roger, help me!" calls Bridget.

With a roar, the flaming spirit of a teddy emerges from the yo-yo behind Millia and punches her in the face. The teddy bear is shockingly strong, and the force of the punch sends her reeling. Millia's hair retreats to fend off the new threat, relieving pressure from Bridget.

As hair and bear trade blows, the bounty hunter sneaks up behind Millia and ties up her arms and legs with his yo-yo's string. The ex-assassin sends her hair behind her to pick up the bounty hunter, but the attacking bear forces her attention to remain in front of her. Even so, despite the rest of her body being tied up, as long as her hair remains free, Millia will not go down.

"Hmm, your hair is quite a big problem," ponders Bridget. "I'm going to have to tie that up as well."

The bounty hunter gives Millia a kick to her back, knocking her down. Her face collides painfully with cobblestone. A massive weight (is that the teddy bear? It feels massive!) sits itself on her hair, pinning it down. Bridget leans down and starts binding up her hair.

"Move a bit Roger…yeah, like that. Thanks."

The smaller blonde quickly restrains the ex-assassin, making sure to tie up her hair. He ends up also covering her mouth, but there's nothing he can do about that. Roger and Bridget help Millia up, and then the bear slowly fades back into its yo-yo. Bridget grabs it and fixes it to his…hoop.

"Come along now," says Bridget as he gives the string a tug. Millia's legs, being tied up, cannot move and she starts falling, but Bridget steadies her.

"Haha, of course. Your legs. My bad, I'm so silly!"

Bridget unwraps enough string around the ex-assassins' legs to allow her to walk without being able to run away or resist.

"Off we go then!"

Millia attempts to flex her hair to snap the string, but to no effect. Her hair, which is strong enough to cut blocks of steel, cannot break the string restraining her. The magic imbued within the yo-yo must be incredible.

 _So it has come to this,_ sighs Millia mentally. Her only option now is to give more power to her hair.

The relationship between Millia and the Forbidden Beast in her hair is rather strange. The beast is not as autonomous as Eddie, but it is undoubtedly alive and sentient. When Millia exerts her will on her hair to move, the Beast exerts its will on Millia as well. The Beast seems to exert a force of will equal to how much power Millia demands of her hair, so in order to maintain control, she does not exceed a certain threshold. However, for the sake of her freedom, she must be willing to risk control of herself. How ironic.

Millia wills her hair to expand, to snap the cords that bind her. Her arm's muscles activate involuntarily, but neither her arms nor her hair can move much due to her restraints.

"Miss Millia, are you struggling?" pipes the playful and curious voice of Bridget. "My yo-yo's string is enchanted, you know? They won't let you go until I say so, no matter how hard you resist."

"I...wouldn't be so sure." When had speaking become so difficult? Her tongue feels clumsy within her own mouth, and even forming words requires intense effort.

 _Come on! Break through!_

* * *

 _Where...where am I?_

Sensation slow returns to her body from the bottom up. She's standing; the pressure on her legs tells her that. Her torso still aches a bit from the kick earlier, but is otherwise fine. Her fists are clenched, very tightly. Why? Sight and sound are returning now.

"...please! I don't...family!"

A bloody figure. Her—his—clothes are tattered and ruined, as if cut by several swords. Blood runs freely from several gashes all over his body, staining his white tunic red. More blood runs from a wound on his forehead, mixing horribly with the tears streaming down his face. There's fear in his eyes: pure, animalistic fear of death.

Finally, sense returns to Millia's head. She's holding the bounty hunter aloft with one big strand of hair. The rest of her hair is writhing like a bunch of tentacles, each tentacle-like strand's end sharpened like a blade. Bridget is begging for his life, rambling incoherent about his estranged family. Based on the sour smell in the air, he must have really given in to fear.

The big question is how did this situation come to be? Millia remembers demanding the Beast to give her enough power to break the string, and then nothing. Could it be that...?

"Bridget." Speaking even one word requires a lot of concentration. Her voice, however, snaps the bounty hunter out of his fear driven rant. "What happened?" Millia forces her hair to relax and let go of Bridget.

"W-what happened?" The smaller blond's voice is meek, as if afraid that, at any moment, Millia's hair might spring to life and kill him. "You're the one who did this and you're asking me what happened?"

"Just tell me." Millia fixes him with a cold glare, and the bounty hunter gives a small squeak of fear.

"Y-yes! Just don't hurt me!"

"I won't. Now tell me what happened."

"Ok. After you told me not to be so sure, your hair kinda exploded and broke my yo-yo's string. It was very pretty, looking like a rosebush and all, but it was also very scary. You had this really scary look on your face and your hair was like a giant octopus. Then you started attacking me and you were even faster than before and way stronger. You knocked the yo-yo out of my hands and even Roger got swatted like a fly. Then you started cutting me up with your hair, but it felt like you were intentionally not cutting to deep, like a cat playing with a mouse. So I tried to run but then you picked me up with your hair and it looked like your hair was going to kill me. I was so scared and started crying, but then you stopped and asked me what happened.

"There, I told you everything. I can go now right?"

That's very strange. Millia remembers none of that. Could it be that the Forbidden Beast had taken over? A chill runs down her spine at the thought.

"Yeah... Just be careful about picking the wrong target next time."

"Sorry about that," apologizes Bridget with a bow. "I won't do it again."

The young bounty hunter scampers off, throwing dignity to the winds in favor of survival.

Millia frowns. She had been warned that abusing her hair's power would have consequences, but she never imagined them to be so dire. According to Bridget, she had turned into a sadistic, bloodthirsty beast. Even now, Millia feels disoriented, as if she is in a body not her own. Her limbs move awkwardly and she feels light-headed. Perhaps she should go home and lie down.

As she stumbles back towards her house, her mind reviews the fight. Bridget had impress skill with his yo-yo, but he should not have posed so much of a challenge. She had underestimated him, demonstrating her complacency as a fighter, and overestimated her own abilities, demonstrating the decline her body had gone through during the past month. She would have to redouble her training to get back in shape.

Millia has a feeling that, in the coming days, she will need every ounce of strength she can muster.

* * *

 **Hard fight scene to write. I've never seen high level Bridget players/combos, so I had no clue what to write. Hope this was satisfactory.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Millia nearly smashes through her door and stumbles to her bed. She doesn't care at all if her door is locked or not. The blonde is tired, and desperately needs to rest. Despite having just woken up not long ago, the physical strain of the fight and the mental stress of controlling her Forbidden Beast have worn Millia out. The ex-assassin collapses onto her bed, neither bothering to change her clothes nor duck under covers, and falls asleep immediately.

When Millia awakes, her body—though still aching—feels a lot better, but her mind feels just as tired as before. Though she has no memory of dreams, the Russian feels like her mind was active and fighting during her slumber.

At any rate, her body is fully under her control again. Her movements are easy, graceful and precise, just as they ought to be.

Millia rises from her bed and heads towards the bathroom. She has yet to wash off the sweat and dried blood from the morning's battle.

Two minutes later, Millia emerges from the shower wrapped in a towel. Even when living a normal life, the blonde's actions are as efficient as during her assassin days. Whether she is fighting, cooking or showering, Millia makes sure to complete a task with as little effort and resources expended as possible. Her hair is already dry, courtesy of a symbiotic parasite living in her hair. The ex-assassin opens her closet, looking for an outfit to wear. Millia is not demanding when it comes to clothes. Her wardrobe is neither expansive nor fancy. Usually, she has no problem grabbing something comfortable and carrying on with her life. Today, however, she finds that nothing in her wardrobe is...adequate. As strange as it seems, none of her clothes appeal to her. That is rather odd; Millia has little to no sense of fashion at all. Why would she reject her outfits due to aesthetics now?

As Millia flips through the last of the clothes in the closet, she catches a glimpse of white at the back of the closet. She reaches in and pulls it out. It's her old assassin uniform. It's a white one piece with blue trimming that ends at her thighs. A black turtleneck is inside the tunic, though the sleeves are elongated and have holes for her fingers to go through. Millia also pulls out matching white and blue boots and a pair of black socks.

Millia hasn't touched this uniform since she defeated Zato. Why now, of all times, would she feel the need to put this uniform back on? Disregarding her questions, Millia obeys her intuition and dons the uniform. Millia's intuition has always been sharp, and throughout her assassin career, Millia has learned to trust it. As the blonde fixes the front straps to make sure the tunic is snug, she feels a sense of calm and confidence wash over her. There is no doubt in her mind that she can face and overcome any obstacle the future may hold.

 _Clothes make a man, indeed._

Millia strolls over to her fridge and opens it. To her dismay, it is utterly barren. She had forgotten that she had cleaned out her fridge yesterday for dinner. In fact, she meant to stop by the grocer's on her morning run to pick up some food, but was interrupted by that bounty hunter.

The hunger gnawing at her belly will not be denied. Millia quickly grabs her wallet and keys and heads out. The sun is setting and it's getting late, but if she hurries, she can make it to the grocer's before it closes. It's only a few blocks down anyways.

However, Millia has barely taken a few steps out of her apartment when she is intercepted by a shout.

"Ah hah! I have you now!" yells a loud and annoyingly high-pitched voice. "You brazen transformable hair witch! Let's do this!"

 _...What?_

Millia sighs and turns around. A brown haired, brown eyed woman stands before her. Her red cutaway dress ends at the bottom with a high, frilly pink skirt. Her long hair is tied in a massive loop behind her, held together by a brass ornament. Separated sleeves cover her forearms, and red boots secure her feet. All in all, the woman's dress is overtly exposing, and seems more fitting for a waitress at a restaurant than for fighting, which she seems intent on doing. Even so, with just a glance at the woman's limbs, Millia can tell she is not dealing with a normal waitress. She can see muscles tense under taut skin, and the woman's experienced brown eyes are already sizing her up and breaking her down.

"That hurts, you know," remarks Millia calmly as she lets her hair loose. It starts swaying beside her, anticipating a fight. "There's nothing more important to a woman than her modesty."

The woman gives a pointed look at Millia's clothes. "You call that modesty? Don't make me laugh! World renowned chef and bounty hunter, Kuradoberi Jam, will bring you in for your crimes! Prepare yourself!"

So she's a bounty hunter. It doesn't matter; Millia just wants to eat dinner. She'll finish this fast. Luckily there's no one out on the streets at dinnertime. Millia spins and twirls her hair in a circle rapidly once, twice, three times. The movement of her hair and a little bit of magic sends razor sharp blades of emerald wind flying at her opponent. Millia just hopes she's held enough back to avoid bisecting the bounty hunter. Even though she's annoying, she doesn't deserve to die.

To Millia's shock, Jam simply crosses her arms in front of her and the blades of wind simply disperse harmlessly around her arms. Who is this woman?

"Surprised, you witch?" The brunette must have noticed her surprise. "My _chi_ wielding technique has a four thousand year old history! It does not lose! Eat this!"

Jam thrusts her right arm forward, and a tooth of fire erupts from her palm. Millia reacts quickly and somersaults forward, rolling under the projectile. The bounty hunter thrusts her other arm forward, and another fireball comes zooming towards Millia. The blonde rolls backwards, narrowly avoiding being burned. If her hair was normal, it would be singed.

"I see. A _ki_ user. This fight won't be so easy after all."

"I hope you're all warmed up, because I won't hold back!"

Jam charges recklessly towards Millia. She brings her elbow down towards Millia's forehead, but is blocked by a wall of golden hair. The bounty hunter simultaneously drops down into a crouch and extends her arm. Jam's crushing fist is stopped once again by Millia's defensive wall, but the brunette does not stop. Jam jumps forward and rotates her body horizontally, lashing out once with her left foot and again with her right after a full rotation. The kicks are surely _chi_ infused, as the force of the blows carry through the hair and forces Millia back a few steps.

Jam continues to press her attack. This time, the ex-assassin leaps over Jam's charge. Once she is directly above the bounty hunter, Millia's hair transforms to take the shape of a crescent moon, covering the front of her body completely. Her Forbidden Beast issues a burst of magic, sending her hurtling towards Jam. The bounty hunter is slammed into hard pavement while Millia bounces away. The brunette, however, is as sturdy as she is foolhardy. Pushing with her arms, Jam gets back up before Millia's feet even touch the ground. The Chinese woman leaps forward, covering impossible amounts of distance with incredible speed with barely any movement at all. Her outstretched leg burns with pale fire, and Millia is unable to react in time to block. A fiery foot crashes into Millia's chest, knocking the breath out of her lungs and sending her flying into her apartment's wall.

Stars burst on her sight as Millia's head smashes into hard stone. She wipes away some spittle from her mouth while she catches her breath. Surprisingly, her opponent is not pressing her advantage. Millia glances at the brunette, curious. Jam is standing a couple of meters away. A smirk graces her face and she curls the fingers of her extended right arm twice, a cocky taunt.

Millia refuses to take the bait, but an undeniable spike of anger drives through her heart. She won't go easy on her anymore.

The blonde jump into the air and her hair propels her like a motor faster than she can run. She gives her hair a flick, and a few strands of hair separate and flies towards Jam like a golden dagger. The bounty hunter's reactions are pretty sharp; she grabs the hard-as-metal hair before it can impale her face. The projectile was just a diversion anyways.

Millia comes out of her aerial dash right in front of Jam, sending her hair out like a fist to give the brunette a good smack to the face. Dropping to the ground, Millia ducks down and throws out two jabs to the torso before rolling behind the bounty hunter. Her golden hair wraps around Jam's lithe frame like a coil. Millia gives a couple of squeezes, hearing some pretty satisfying pops, before releasing the Chinese woman. Jam drops to her knees and coughs roughly, but she still has plenty of fight left in her.

Millia commands her hair to form a board beneath her, sending her sliding towards her opponent. Jam hops into the air, swinging her back foot up over her head and down again in a crushing motion. Once again, mystic fire wreathes her foot and spreads from Millia's chest (the point of impact) all over her body. The flames do not burn, however, and a quick roll douses them quickly.

"Here I come!" yells Jam. The Chinese woman leans backwards before catapulting forwards, her feet gliding along the ground. She stops outside striking range, but snaps her left arm parallel to her body. A ball of blueish-white _chi_ explodes from her clenched fist, blasting Millia away. She stumbles back and almost trips on the curb, but manages to keep her footing.

Jam is bouncing on the balls of her feet, cautiously awaiting Millia's next move. If the bounty hunter wants her to make a move, then that's what she'll get. Millia pushes off with her legs and takes to the air. Jam raises her fists and prepare for an aerial assault. No way will the blonde do something so predictable.

From a sizeable distance away, while Millia is still in midair, the ex-assassin thrusts out her hips and pushes her arms backwards, knees bent. Millia is not powerless without her hair; no respectable assassin relies on one weapon. Although limited, the Russian is trained in magic. One of the ways she can use magic is for propulsion. Her hair may do the job better and easier, but sometimes a more subtle method is required to gain the element of surprise on her opponents. Silent force erupts from her palms and rockets her diagonally towards the ground. Millia lands in a crouch before her opponent, catching her completely off-guard. Millia rises explosively, hair lashing out like a whip. Millia converts the momentum from the sudden rise into a backflip, gaining distance for her to regain her bearings.

Jam is launched into the air by the attack, and is completely vulnerable. Millia capitalizes on this opportunity, leaping after her airborne opponent. The blonde reaches out with her arms, grabbing ahold of Jam's ankle. Millia gyrates her body, flinging the brunette bounty hunter into the ground. The red-clad Chinese slams into hard floor, shattering several stones.

Jam rises slowly, brushing some loose hair out of her eyes. The woman must be using her _chi_ to strengthen her body; she should have several broken bones all over her body and head damage.

"You're pretty good," admits Jam while panting for breath. "But I'm just getting started! Take this!"

The brunette shoots forward, far faster than any person who has sustained as much damage as her should. In the blink of an eye, Jam closes the distance between the two fighters and rams her shoulder into Millia's gut. Next, she brings her fist down in a crushing blow to the face. Millia's world becomes a haze of orange and red pain.

"Choukyaku!" exclaims the red-clad bounty hunter. A foot like a sledgehammer collides with Millia's leg, threatening to unbalance her. The blonde is forced upright by a kick to the stomach and another to the chest. The Russian tries to cross her arms and retreat to safety, but the Chinese fighter pirouettes, right leg extended. Jam spins after Millia, each kick hitting like a sack of bricks. It will be a minor miracle if she doesn't have any ruptured organs or broken bones. Finally, a foot snaps up straight into Millia's chin, sending her into the air.

"Hououshou!" Jam jumps after her airborne opponent, fiery _chi_ exploding from her body. Orange flames erupt from her frame, forming outstretched wings, wicked talons and multiple tail-plumes. A phoenix radiates from Jam like a sun, igniting Millia and blasting her further away. Curiously enough, the fire, though hot, does not burn. Millia's clothes are not consumed and her sweat is not boiled along with her skin. Rather, the licking flames seem to be draining her energy.

The ex-assassin crashes to the ground, body smoldering and completely drained. Millia doesn't feel the impact; her entire body is numb. Feeling pain would mean she's still in tune with her body, but this numbness, this emptiness... There's no question, her body cannot keep fighting. However, that doesn't mean the fight is over. For now though, it will be better if she pretends to be weaker than she actually is.

Jam lands more gracefully, but stumbles a bit for her footing. She must be more tired than she lets on. The bounty hunter saunters over to Millia and pulls out a coil of rope from a back pocket (though how an entire coil of rope could be hiding in such a small space like Jam's back pocket is a mystery).

"Are you alive?" asks Jam with a hint of concern in her voice. "I think the bounty is only valid if you're alive." The brown haired fighter leans down and holds a hand over Millia's nose. She leans back once she feels breath on her hand. "Good. You seem too tired to resist now. I'll be taking you in."

Jam shifts Millia into a sitting position, and starts tying the blonde's arms behind her back. This is Millia's chance. Her body may be unable to fight back, but her hair is able to. The Russian wills her hair into motion, and it feels weird not to experience the usual recoil that comes with such an act.

Yellow hair expands violently, knocking Jam onto her butt and cutting up the rope. A pair of golden wings frames Millia's face while the remaining hair forms an ochre plume behind her. The wings give an almighty flap, pushing Millia into the air. The burst of air formed by the propulsion knocks Jam down again as she tries to get back up. Millia rises into the sky, spinning to face her opponent. The wings fold in, sending Millia dive bombing towards Jam. The brunette tries to jump out of the way, but Millia's wings spread in time to adjust her course. The blonde collides with Jam, carrying her straight into the wall of a building.

Jam slumps off the wall and collapses in a heap, face to the ground. The brunette seems to be unconscious. Millia would check, but she's still a bit too tired to be moving, though sensation is starting to return to her extremities.

It's going to take some time for Millia to recover enough strength to move, she might as well spend the time reflecting. Luckily, no one seems too bothered to check on what's happening outside.

This Jam person is the second bounty hunter she's had to fight today. Even during the days when the Assassin's Guild hunted her the hardest, Millia never had to fight twice in one day. Not only that, but both her pursuers were very skilled, they probably possessed years of training and experience. During her most wanted days, Millia had struck down many foolish bounty hunters that grossly overestimated their own ability. Few posed a challenge to her. The last two, however, had forced her to her limits. Moreover, both bounty hunters seemed to keep pretty low profiles. Few people become famous from bounty hunting, but given Millia's former profession, she knows most of the prominent bounty hunters. However, she did not know the two hunters she fought at all.

Whoever is setting bounties on her head is sending obscure specialists after her. Not only that, but they're also powerful enough to avoid or ignore the IPF's...persuasion. Speaking of the International Police Federation, they might have started an investigation already. Perhaps Millia will head over to a local branch and ask around once she is able to get up. Given the recent attacks, she should probably head over and check as soon as possible. Her injuries and hunger will have to wait.

The sky turns dark as the late evening sun disappears under rooftops. A chilly evening breeze rustles through the streets, blowing up leaves and debris. Overhead, dark clouds gather, drowning out now-emerging stars. A familiar feeling is in the air, though this time it feels a lot more ominous than last time.

With a heavy groan Millia pushes herself to her knees, ignoring the screaming protests of her arms and chest. Her stomach is sore and she wonders if she has any damaged organs. At the very least, none of her bones seem to be broken. She should go, if she wastes any more time, the bounty hunter might come to and they'll have to fight again. Millia is too tired to deal with her again.

The blonde rests one shoulder on a wall and waits for her head to steady and her legs to get accustomed to supporting her weight again. Slowly and shakily she hobbles off into the distance. The local police station is rather far away, a disadvantage of living in the city. In her current condition, it will take Millia half a day to walk there. Luckily, the city's magic-powered trolleys are in service until late into the night. With the trolleys, Millia can make it to the station in an hour.

Millia stops a few meters shy of the trolley station and brushes some dirt off of herself. She's going to be riding with other people, so she doesn't want to be too filthy. The city's public trolleys are free and tax-funded, so they have a reputation of attracting...unsavory people, but Millia has some pride as a woman.

Within minutes a trolley pulls up and Millia climbs aboard. There are plenty of seats available, as it is a weekday evening and past rush hour, so the ex-assassin sits down and rests some more. Millia remembers seeing pictures of old cities, with roads crammed with machines called automobiles. Since the Black Tech bill of 2026 passed, automobile production has stopped and, nowadays, they are only seen in museums and antique collections. The public, tax-funded, magic-powered trolley and subway system handle all the transportation needs of the city's populace. Millia's stop is pretty far away, so she closes her eyes and drifts off.

Millia wakes up at the stop before her's. The blonde thanks her lucky stars for the good timing as she exits the vehicle. Not long after she gets off, a big drop of rain falls directly on her forehead. Perhaps she spoke too soon. She didn't bring an umbrella. No matter. The police station is only a ten minute walk from here. A little bit of rain won't kill her.

 _It's just too bad that the rain decided to fall so hard,_ thinks Millia as the deluge becomes heavier and heavier. _The rain is falling in such heavy curtains that I can barely see. Streetlights are barely visible and I can hardly see two meters in front of me. I'm soaked to the bone! I'd better watch out, or I'll catch a c—_

Millia's hair reacts before she even knows what's going on. Golden strands snap to life, forming a glove in front of her face. Something smashes into the hair with enough force to make Millia take a step back. Whatever it is, it was going fast enough to take her head off. Even though it is a bit disconcerting for the Forbidden Beast to be moving by itself, it did save her life. At any rate, someone is after her life, so she should focus on that instead. She lowers her hair, but notices that there is no sign of whatever attacked her. _A magical projectile?_

"Your reaction time is pretty good," says a voice from the darkness. It's a voice from the past, a voice Millia won't forget for a long time. "But I can tell you're tired. Those fights from earlier must have taken a lot out of you."

A mane of white hair steps into view. A man emerges from the rain to stand in the dim light of a street lamp. Long white sleeves cover his arms, but leave the rest of his upper body exposed, revealing a toned chest and stomach. A black, stylized belt holds up a white cloth wrapped around his left leg, like a toga for the lower body. Skintight black tights hug muscular legs, and black gloved hands hold a snooker cue.

"The time has come for me to deal with the Guild's enemies. You, Millia, will be the first to fall."

Venom.

* * *

 **Incoming Ky Kiske. I have no idea how I'm going to work in romance, even though I kinda want to. Guilty Gear is great, there are a lot of cool story elements I wanna explore but might not be able to. Excited to continue to work on this story.**


	4. Chapter 3

**I can't believe I just wrote this. Anyways, Merry Christmas.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Ky sighs.

He is on his first patrol in a month, and, of course, it is raining. Heavy torrents of rain pour from the heavens, reducing visibility to a few meters in front of him. A peal of thunder splits the night, making it hard to hear anything as well. A nighttime wind is also blowing, causing the rain to sting his face and chill his bones. All in all, it's a bad night to be patrolling.

Ky has his subordinates to thank for this.

Their intentions are good; they were simply worried about his health. The blond officer had been pretty much stuck in his office for the entire month dealing with paperwork and digging through records to investigate leads. His men had (rightfully) thought that going outside would be a good change of pace.

They are right. Even as precipitation splatters Ky's face and soak his uniform, his head, which felt heavy from days of sitting and lack of sleep, begins to lighten up. Despite the dark and chilly night, his mood improves, and he feels refreshed.

It will be nice to just walk around the city for a few hours without having to worry about his other responsibilities and tasks. The reports of illegal shipments of black tech being smuggled into Zepp needs to be addressed, but he doesn't need to think about that right now. His task is to patrol the city and make sure everything is peaceful and orderly. Maybe he can even relax and enjoy himself. There's not much to see in terms of scenery, but he can still—

A woman's scream cuts through the night. It's coming from just around the corner. So much for a relaxing stroll.

Ky unsheathes Thunderseal and starts running. He rounds the corner, bracing himself for anything.

A figure, silhouetted by the rain, is hoisting another up in the air. The one in the air seems to be female, based on her figure and how much (what appears to be) hair she has. The one on the ground appears to be male, based on his build.

"You over there," calls out Ky, "stop where you are."

"Mmm?" The figure's head moves, and his voice confirms Ky's guess. He is indeed male.

"Release the woman. You are under arrest for assault."

"You're all alone, are you not? Keep yapping, if you like. You'll regret it later." At least he's released the woman. She must be unconscious, because she lies in a heap on the ground.

"Justice isn't about numbers. And numbers do not equal power. Allow me to show you why."

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

Something shoots through the night. It's too dark and rainy to make out what, but it's moving very quickly, and Ky would rather not get hit. He twists his body awkwardly to avoid the projectile, and almost loses his balance because of it. Another projectile zips towards him. Ky can make out a few details this time. It's white, and shaped like a ball, but he can make out little else. It's moving too fast for him to see what it is. Ky brings up his sword to deflect the projectile, and it smashes into the ground behind him. He can hear the sound of stones breaking. Surely, the projectile would've shattered his ribs if it had hit.

The blond officer moves on the offensive, dodging another ball. As he brings his sword down in an overhead swing, Ky gets a look at his opponent. _This white hair, that snooker cue...could this be Venom of the Assassin's Guild?_

The man brings his cue up and holds it horizontally over his head, parrying the slash. He must be Venom; no one else would have a snooker cue capable of blocking a slash from Thunderseal. This works out in Ky's favor; Venom is a wanted man anyways.

Ky draws back his sword and goes for a horizontal slash. Venom skips backwards to avoid being bisected. The former Knight runs after him and throws himself into a slide, his left leg bent and right leg extended. His white boots crashes into the assassin's ankle, knocking him off balance. Ky rises with a left handed swing, making sure to hit with the flat of the blade to avoid mortally wounding his opponent. His objective is to arrest the man, not kill him. Venom grunts with pain and retreats a few steps. He reaches into his jacket and pulls out two white pool balls. He throws them into the air, and they levitate at around chest level. Whatever he's setting up, Ky wont' give him time to complete it. He charges in, lightning crackling from his sword. A trail of blue electricity is left in Thunderseal's wake as he spins and slashes diagonally, from the left shoulder to the right hip.

Venom backpedals, dodging the slash, and thrust out his pool cue. The stick hits one of the balls and sets it into motion. It moves slowly, however, and Ky has plenty of time to cut it to shreds. Venom takes another step back and fires another ball with a shout of "Stinger Aim!" This one is much faster, but it is shot too high; it's going to miss Ky completely. The police officer charges forward, disregarding the ball. He shouldn't have. The ball collides with the other one still floating in the air and the impulse sends it flying towards Ky. He twists his body in an attempt to dodge, but the ball still hits his deltoid. His shoulder goes numb for a second before flaring into pain. He is lucky his arm isn't broken; his uniform is ripped where the ball hit it. Ky sucks air through his teeth to bear the pain and maintain his concentration. He discharges a bolt of lightning from his sword to prevent Venom from attacking during his temporary vulnerability. The assassin has no intention of fighting anyways.

"Hmph," sneers Venom. "I did not come here tonight to fight you. I will withdraw for now, but you cannot protect her forever. She will pay for her crimes."

 _She? Her? Oh no! The woman!_

Ky turns around and rushes over to the unconscious woman on the ground. She is breathing, and a quick check of her pulse reveals that her heartrate is normal. Ky looks up to face Venom, but he has already disappeared into the night.

 _Tch, he's gone. That criminal will pay for his deeds one day. For now, I should bring the woman back to the station. She's bound to have some information on—wait._

 _This blonde hair, that uniform...could this be Millia Rage?_

Ky knows he shouldn't be surprised. Venom, the new leader of the Assassin's Guild wouldn't waste his time attacking any normal woman. It's just that Millia's been keeping such a low profile, and with the Guild so close to disbanding, such an attack seems abnormal.

At any rate, it is Ky's duty as a man and as an officer of the law to bring Millia back to the station. She doesn't have any wounds that require immediate attention, although several ugly bruises on her face shows that she suffered quite a beating. Her hair is completely loose, and it forms a golden carpet around the ex-assassin. None of her bones look broken either (Ky would feel for broken bones, but his honor as a knight prevents him from taking advantage of an unconscious woman!), so Ky carefully wraps one arm around her shoulders and another under the knees and lifts her up.

The ex-assassin is delightfully light, and her unconscious form snuggles into Ky's body for warmth. The officer can feel his face warming up, and he whispers a quick prayer to the Lord for purity of thought.

Thankfully, they are not far from the station, and within minutes they are back at the police headquarters. Ky trudges up two flights of stairs and pushes open heavy double doors with his uninjured shoulder to enter the lobby of the International Police Force's Paris main branch. It's very elaborately decorated, with stained glass windows over the door and on the walls at the sides, beautifully carved statues of angels and lion heads and suits of armor. On either side of the door are stairs that leads up to an observation deck. Unfortunately, arches support the roof, allowing the cold night air and some rain to blow into the lobby. Luckily, this also means Ky doesn't have to worry about dripping rain all over the place. The lobby serves as a rotunda, with many hallways branching off from it leading deeper into the headquarters.

The receptionist at the desk—Alex—is fast asleep. Ky doesn't blame him, it's very late and sleep is starting to leaden his eyes as well. Ky veers into one of the hallways and heads towards the infirmary.

It's not until Ky is in front of the infirmary doors that he realizes he has a big problem: Millia's clothes are soaking wet, and she has to be changed into a nightgown. None of his officers are female (the result of all his closest Holy Knights joining him in his new job), and the nurses are surely at home at this hour. Ky gulps. There's really only one option here.

 _Father, please forgive me for any sinful thoughts I may have._

Ky sets Millia down on a bed and goes to a nearby wardrobe to pick out a fresh nightgown. The ex-assassin curls up and lets out an uncharacteristic whimper, as if protesting the sudden loss of warmth. Given the circumstance, Ky knows he shouldn't be thinking this, but the sound is very _cute_.

 _Oh geez._

Ky hovers over Millia for a second, pondering how to remove the uniform. At this distance, he can smell the scent of her shampoo. It's faint, being mixed with the odor of blood and sweat, and washed with rain, but it's there nonetheless. Lavenders. How pleasant.

But that's not the point. He should be focusing on her clothes, and how to remove them. No, that doesn't sound right. How about...

Ky shakes his head. He needs to focus on the task at hand. The tunic seems to be a slip-on, he just has to pull it over her head. He loosens the belts over her chest, averts his eyes, grabs the bottom of the tunic and lifts up. The wet fabric clings to Millia's skin, making the whole process a lot harder than it has to be, but eventually he gets it off.

Next, there's the inner uniform. He has to take her arms out of the sleeves first, and then pull the whole thing down so it comes off around her legs. Perhaps he should remove her boots and socks first, to get those out of the way. They are removed easily enough. Ky also takes Millia's arms out of the sleeves with little (moral) struggle, contact of the arms is chaste. The problem is taking the rest off. The black fabric of the inner uniform is skintight, and the added wetness from the rain makes it cling to skin like glue. Ky has to put one arm on either side and pull down. The position is very compromising, and it makes averting his eyes very hard. Ky has to squeeze them shut. Eventually, the inner uniform comes off as well.

Now comes the hard part: putting on the nightgown. Ky can't do this blind or look away, doing so runs the risk of him...touching something inappropriate, and he will not accept that risk. There's no getting around it. Ky will just have to grit his teeth and do it quickly, like an immunization shot. Thankfully, Millia is wearing undergarments, so she's not on full display, but even so, there is a lot of...temptation before Ky.

The cotton gown has a zipper on the back, so all Ky has to do is slip the gown on and zip up the zipper. He can do this quickly and get out of here without sinning anymore.

Shooting another prayer for forgiveness, Ky takes a deep breath and gets to work. Ky positions Millia's arms so they're by her sides and out of the way. With one hand between her shoulder blades, Ky props Millia up as he puts the gown on with the other hand. He struggles with all his might to fixate his eyes on anything other than Millia's generous bust. As soon as the piece of clothing is at her stomach, Ky leans the unconscious woman against the headboard and pulls the gown all the way down, making sure to keep his eyes at an appropriate level. Despite his best efforts, the captain catches himself sneaking glances at those enticing legs. Slipping her arms into the sleeves proves to be a quick task. Finally, Ky zips up the gown, tucks the ex-assassin in and stands up. He collects the wet clothes and spreads them out at the foot of the bed. Hopefully they'll dry by morning.

The former Holy Knight unleashes a big sigh as he leaves the infirmary. That was one of the worst experiences of his life. Ky is positive that he will have flashbacks of bare expanses of silky smooth skin, voluptuous breasts and long, slender legs. May the Lord protect his sanity and purity.

Ky returns to the lobby and finds Alex still asleep. He is about to wake the receptionist when a voice captures his attention.

"Ah, finally done are you? I was wondering how long you would take."

A brown haired man with a well-kept beard and mustache steps out of the shadows. He wears a greyish-blue suit over a white dress shirt, and his dress pants are the same color as his suit. Red crosses with white trimming adorn his sleeves and he wears a similar tie. A monocle rests over his left eye, and a piece of red clothe rests on his right shoulder.

"D-Don't get the wrong idea! I...I was just...just..."

"I'm sure I have no idea what you are talking about, my fellow," replies the man with a knowing smile. "At any rate, I'm looking for a police officer named Ky Kiske.

"Oh, well I am Ky. What can I do for you?"

"Nothing special. I've just come to pay a visit. It is customary for the king of the night to request permission from the protector of the day before venturing into the sunlight."

Ky really has no idea what this person is talking about, but the way he talks and the aura he exudes...Ky's arm moves instinctively towards his sheath.

"Ah, where are my manners? My name is Slayer. Your friend at the desk there is fast asleep and won't wake up until someone touches him. He won't interfere. Now then, let me test your skill."

The brunet leaps at Ky, leaving a cloud of purple dust in his wake. The surprised police officer barely has time to bring his sword up to deflect the hit; such is the speed of Slayer's charge. Slayer's fist meets the hard steel of Thunderseal, and the force of the blow is enough to send Ky skidding backwards several meters.

"If that is what you wish, then I will oblige you!" says Ky. Electric energy surges down Thunderseal into Ky's arms, spreading through his entire body. Lightning crackles from the sword.

Ky charges at his opponent, slashing horizontally as he does so. To his shock, Slayer blocks the sword with his forearm without any damage to his limb or even his clothes. If his earlier movement didn't give away the man's inhuman nature, then surely this does. In retaliation, the monocled fighter delivers a powerful jab to Ky's gut, launching him airborne. The blonde manages to perform a flip midair to land on his feet, but the punch has left him gasping for breath.

Slayer advances towards his target slowly, as if he is taking a stroll in the park. He even has his pipe lit and leisurely smoking it.

 _He's not taking this fight seriously at all. I will have to make him take it seriously then._

"Stun edge!" A bolt of lightning discharges from Thunderseal, zipping towards Slayer. The supernatural brunet hops out of the way easily, and the electricity splashes harmlessly on the far wall. The projectile, however, is just a feint. Ky slides along the ground with one leg extended, crashing into Slayer and knocking him off balance. The blonde rises with explosive force, swinging his blade as he does so. The slash should've cut the debonair in half, but, as Ky expected, his opponent's body is tough enough to take the cut without sustaining any damage. Instead, the brunet is sent stumbling back with an amused look on his face.

"Very good Mr. Kiske, you managed to land a hit on me. I'm impressed."

Ky normally enjoys a good duel. He is rarely able to spar with anyone close to his ability, so a fight that challenges him is always welcome. What he can't stand, however, is someone looking down on him. He can't stand it when people belittle him and not fight seriously. Normally such irritation is directed at Sol, but this man before him is doing the same. Ky can feel anger coursing through his veins.

"You haven't seen anything yet. Holy Order special technique!"

A much bigger bolt of lightning shoots out of Thunderseal this time, three times the size of the first. Slayer chuckles, and then puts his pipe in his mouth to free up his hand. He shifts his arm in front of him in a triangular pattern, moving so quickly that it seems like he has three hands. The electric projectile hits the brunet's hand and dissipates as if colliding with a wall. Slayer raises one eyebrow in amusement, as if taunting Ky.

"Grrrr... Block this! Sacred edge!"

Ky swings his blade in a circle, the steel leaving behind a trail of thunder in its wake. Once he completes the rotation, the blonde thrusts his sword through the circle he created, and massive amounts of electric power discharges from Thunderseal. The lightning takes the form of a blade and shoots towards Slayer, who seems genuinely impressed by the show of power.

"Ho...?" the debonair murmurs. Slayer's body shimmers once before disappearing entirely right before Ky's attack hits. The Sacred Edge slams into the far wall. The vibrations caused by the impact are enough to shatter the windows on the side walls. Thankfully, it is late at night and there is little chance of passersby in the streets getting caught by the collateral damage.

Slayer re-emerges a couple of meters from where he was, clapping.

"Quite a display of power, young one. But you would be well advised to control your power."

Ky swears he will wipe the smug look off Slayer's face no matter what. "RIDE THE LIGHTNING!"

The police officer slashes the air in front of him, creating a wall of electricity. Ky leaps with all his might, propelling the lightning forward.

"If you wish for me to fight seriously, then so be it," sighs Slayer. He bows his head and takes a drag from his pipe. "But you really ought to be careful what you wish for." Slayer snaps his head up with an intense look on his face. He shoots forward, leaving a cloud of purple dust behind. " _Homono Punch_!*"

To Ky's amazement, his opponent is directly challenging the electric power of Thunderseal with his bare fist. Slayer rockets towards him with his right arm extended. It takes Ky's brain several seconds to comprehend the brunet's fist breaking through the wall of thunder and striking him directly in the chest. It takes several more seconds for the pain to flare through his entire body.

Ky leans heavily on his sword as he attempts to rise. His body is worn out after taking those two hits, and he has some problem breathing. His opponent is clearly very powerful, and with Ky's combat capability decreasing by the second, there is only one option for victory left. He doesn't like relying on his ultimate attack, as it is the one move he is unable to hold back on. Ky rarely fights with the intention of permanently harming anyone, so he pulls his punches, so to speak. His Rising Force attack, however, is different. Ky synchronizes his magical ability with Thunderseal's electric power and together they unleash an attack with all their might. The consequences of his attack range from paralysis to complete bodily disintegration. Against this opponent, however, the blond is left with no choice.

"Full power!" Ky exclaims as he clasps both hands around Thunderseal's hilt. Electricity crackles from the blade, and energy runs down the sword into Ky's body, charging him full of power. "RISING FORCE!"

The blond officer thrusts his sword outwards, and a beam of lightning discharges from the blade. Every hair on his body stands on end from the powerful discharge, every nerve tingles from the electric stimulation. The plasma moves quickly, striking Slayer before he has a chance to react. With a pained grunt, the monocled fighter falls to the ground, smoke rising from his body.

"I hope I haven't overdone it," says Ky to himself.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," responds Slayer, dusting himself off as he rises. The debonair tries to play it off, but the attack must have hurt a lot. Ky can see many subtle nuances on the man's face that indicates pain.

Even so, he has sustained far less damage than anyone else that has been hit by the Rising Force. If this Slayer being can withstand his ultimate attack that can kill even highly magic resistant Gears, then there is nothing more Ky can do against him. He has lost.

"Hmph. I've shamed myself in front of you," concedes Ky as he lowers Thunderseal.

"No, not at all," reassures Slayer as he takes a drag of his pipe. "You're quite impressive."

"Still, why are you here?"

"When the sun sets, the moon rises. Here, have a look at this." Slayer reaches into his suit and pulls out a piece of paper, which he hands to Ky. "And, since Miss Rage is in your care, please give this to her. She will know what to do with it when the time comes." Slayer once again reaches into his jacket and pulls out a golden dagger. It's small, barely a knife, but its blade is sharp and pointy, and the hilt has an intricate design of flowers. A jolt passes through Ky as he catches the weapon, but he dismisses it as static electricity. He puts the dagger in his pocket and takes the paper into his hands.

"What's this? Ahh, the latest bounty list."

"Indeed. You know anything about the new names here?"

Ky scans the list. What? The new top bounties are... and the reward!

"What on earth? This is—wait, where did you go?"

The brunet is gone. All that remains of him is a memory, and a new lead to investigate. This new bounty list is big news. It's no coincidence that these names are on this list, and to have their bounties increased by so much...something is definitely afoot here.

First things first, Ky needs to wake up Alex and inform him about the situation concerning Millia and the new bounty list. Then, he will go to sleep. Ky has a feeling that he will need all the rest he can get, because something big is coming.

* * *

 ***For Slayer's overdrive, 'Dead on Time' in GGXX, Slayer says something during the attack, but I'm not really sure what it is. I played it by ear and rendered it as "Homono Punch" but really I have no clue.**

 **You know, at first I thought it would be funny to have Ky suffer a bit, but after re-reading that section, I just wanna cry.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 _"Pathetic," sneers Venom as he rams the butt of his cue into Millia's gut._

 _She stumbles back, but something smashes into her jaw, causing her to spin around once before falling to the ground._

 _"Master Zato called you the ideal assassin, did you know?"_

 _A punt to the side rolls her over from her stomach to her back, eliciting a scream of pain._

 _"Look at you now. You can't even touch me."_

 _Rough hands seize her by the throat and lift her into the air._

 _"My only regret is that I was unable to protect Master Zato from his own mistake."_

 _Millia cracks open an eye. Through the rain, through the pain, all she can see is a blue eye painted on white hair. If only she can take him down with her._

 _"May his soul accept this offering, as unworthy as it is."_

 _Twin spikes of golden hair shoots out, but they pierce not the face of her foe…_

…but empty air.

Wait. Where is she? This is an unfamiliar ceiling; her ceiling is not tiled like this. Millia snaps upright. Her body is alert, and her hair, which is already extended, turns to cover her flank.

"So, it seems you're awake," says a woman's voice. Millia turns to the right and sees a middle-aged woman with greying brown hair dressed in a grey nurse's uniform. She appears to be slightly apprehensive of Millia's hair, but maintains her composure.

Millia surveys her surroundings. The Russian appears to be in an infirmary of sorts. Two rows of beds line the walls, with a cabinet placed between every third beds. There are also windows in the walls. They are spaced out in a way that a third of every window is above a bed and the rest is beside it. The ceiling is high and several chandeliers dangle down, which will provide light in the evening. Right now, the morning sun filtering through lace curtains provides plenty of light.

"Where am I?" asks Millia. Her voice is raspy with disuse.

"You are in the medical wing of the Central Parisian branch of the IPF," answers the nurse. Her tone is severe and, now that she's a bit closer, Millia can see that the nurse's facial features and lines make her seem like the impatient kind. A name tag fixed over her heart reveals the nurse's name to be Betty.

 _IPF eh?_

Millia's best guess as to what happened is that a policeman came across them and Venom left, not wanting to cause a scene. The officer must have brought her here. Millia should consider herself lucky. She managed to hold onto her life, even if the horrific beating she suffered will leave—

Her body is fine. That's not right. She shouldn't even be able to sit upright like this.

"My injuries, what happened?"

"Mm yes, your injuries. I was just going to give you the rundown of your treatment. You've suffered severe blunt abdominal trauma, including a ruptured spleen. One of your ribs was also fractured, and a lower incisor was knocked out. These are all minor injuries, however, and we managed to treat them within two hours.

"What is difficult to heal and still requires attention, however, is the brain damage. The concussion you've suffered will take time to heal. Even with the huge advancements in modern medical magic that allows us to heal bones and even regrow teeth instantly, repairing brain damage is not something we can do quickly. I reckon it will take anywhere from a week to a month of constant care to restore your brain to its original condition."

"But other than that, I'm fine, right? I can move around with no problem?"

Betty sighs, as if expecting such a response. "I see that all of the company that Mr. Kiske keeps all has the same mentality. It's always 'Can I leave now?' or 'If I can move I'm fine.' Why don't you lot ever stop to think about your long term health? Well let me just tell you that this is my only offer of treatment for you. This is a private hospital for the police force, and the only reason you're being offered this healing in the first place is because Mr. Kiske believes you have useful information. You may leave if you wish, but don't come running back once you realize your memory isn't what it used to be. I hope you enjoy your old age dementia. Hmph!"

Betty sticks her nose in the air and turns around before walking away. The poor woman looks like she really needs a vacation.

Millia notices that her uniform is hung out at the foot of her bed, probably to dry it off after getting soaked by last night's rain. She also realizes that she's in a hospital gown. She really should be more cognizant of herself. As she slips into her assassin clothes, Millia ponders her next move.

The way the nurse was talking, it sounds like it was Ky Kiske who found her last night. That would make more sense in her scenario; Venom would not be driven away by any ordinary policeman. It also sounds like Ky has some questions for her. That's good, because she has some questions for him too. It's decided then, she will pay Ky a visit.

Millia gets up, putting a hand on the headboard to stabilize herself as a wave of dizziness hits her. She must have gotten up too fast. The blonde exits the infirmary and goes down a long corridor. All the policemen she encounters stops and stares, some with less-than-professional intent, but Millia doesn't spare them a glance. She emerges from the hallway to end up at a big rotunda. There's a circular desk not too far from where she is, and the receptionist manning the desk waves at her.

"Miss Rage, yes? Mr. Kiske is expecting you. The hallway on my right will take you to his office; it's at the end of the passage."

Millia nods and thanks him for his service and heads down the hall. Once in front of the door at the end of the hall (appropriately labelled "Ky Kiske, Captain" by a brass plate), she knocks twice.

"Please come in," comes the slightly muffled response.

Millia obliges and enters Ky's office. It's a rather small room, or maybe that's just the effect of all the filing cabinets and bookshelves crowding the area. A small stove rests on top of a shorter cabinet, and a kettle sits on top of that. There are three chairs in front of Ky's wooden desk, and a coat rack by the door. Hanging from the rack is the outer layer of Ky's uniform. The captain is wearing a white shirt with detached sleeves and a black belt running lengthwise across his chest. It forms a cross in conjunction with the black trimming of the zipper that runs down the center of Ky's upper body. The blond is surprisingly well-built, as his skintight clothing reveals, but Millia should really stop her thoughts from wandering. Thunderseal, Ky's sword, is propped up in a corner, but still within arm's reach. There are many stacks of neatly organized papers, books and files on the desk, and a folder lays sprawled open before him.

Ky's facial expression is somewhat odd. It's as if Millia walked in on him doing something...illicit. The light blush that colors his face when their eyes meet seems to corroborate her suspicion. The former knight looks away (in embarrassment?), but Millia doesn't. She continues to study Ky's face, and finds that lines are beginning to form due to holding such a high-stress position for so long. It adds a level of maturity to his already handsome looks, and makes him even more...alluring.

Millia forces such strange thoughts out of her mind. There are more pressing issues to discuss.

"So I take it you have some questions for me," states Millia as she takes a seat.

"Must you be so blunt, Miss Rage?" There he goes with his politeness and courteousness. It may fool others, but it doesn't fool Millia. Underneath his holy appearance lies a person just as sinful and ugly as anyone else, she knows it. "Will you not have some tea? It might be a bit cold, but it's a simple matter to heat it—"

"Let's get straight to the point. We both have more important things to deal with, I'm sure."

"Right you are," concedes Ky wistfully. "Well then, first things first. Concerning Venom..."

"I don't know anything about him. Why he attacked me, what he's going to do next...it's all a mystery to me. In fact, I haven't seen him since leaving the Guild."

Ky lets out a 'hmph' as if she had told him the weather. "That's what I thought. But Venom and the Assassin's Guild isn't what I really want to ask you about."

 _Not concerning the Assassin's Guild? Then what...?_

"Zato-1. You killed him, correct?"

"Yes," snaps Millia instantly. "Unmistakably."

Ky emits a noise of affirmation as he digs through his stacks. He pulls out a report and slides it towards Millia.

 _'Mysterious murder in the East End.'_

 _'Several bodies were found dead in an alley early this morning. While there were no outward signs of harm, an autopsy revealed that the victims' insides have been changed into a strange black substance. Police have been unable to identify the substance. Authorities suspect a rogue mage may be carrying out illegal experiments on unsuspecting people, and warn citizens not to wander around alone at night.'_

Strange black substance? That sounds a lot like...

"The line about the police being unable to identify the substance is a lie. We have, in fact, analyzed the material and found a match. However, we can't simply tell the press our results, because the existence of Forbidden Beasts is not public knowledge."

Millia's insides turn to ice. He really is talking about Zato.

"How?" cries Millia as she bursts out of her chair. "He's dead; I killed him with my own hands!"

"I was hoping you could tell me, seeing as you are a Forbidden Beast user."

"No. This is impossible! There must be some kind of mistake!"

"Please calm down, Miss Rage. According to the few files we managed to recover when we busted the Forbidden Beast Project, all Forbidden Beasts, to one degree or another, have a mind of their own. Could it be possible for a Beast to possess the deceased body of its caster?"

If Ky had proposed this idea two days ago, Millia would've dismissed it. However, after her recent experience with her own Beast, she finds the idea very plausible. Zato's Beast, Eddie, has always been a strange one. The Beast would manifest separately from Zato and attack his target, moving and fighting in ways that shows intelligence far surpassing animals. Even more disturbing is how it would sometimes stare at her, as if studying her the way a scientist studies a monkey. Therefore it's not too far of a stretch to believe that Eddie can take over Zato's dead body when Millia's far less sentient Beast can possess her while she is still conscious.

Millia snatches up the report and quickly scans through it for a location. The city in which the incident happened is pretty far, but she can get there in a matter of days. Zato—Eddie—would likely have moved on already, but any clue is—

"Miss Rage." A calm voice cuts through her frenzied thoughts. "Please think this through. This report was filed five days ago. No further incident has been reported. Wherever he is, he is probably not there anymore. Going now will not change a thing."

A spike of rage stabs through Millia's chest. She's had it with Ky's self-righteous attitude, and now he's telling her what to do too! The worst part is, he's right, and it would be foolishness to not listen. But that only adds to her anger.

"So? What should I do then?" spits Millia spitefully.

"I understand this is a personal matter for you. Zato must've been someone very important to you, and I am not so arrogant as to tell you how to handle your own affairs. However, I must urge you to not act rashly. Please think things through and consider your options."

Even if they are just hollow words to maintain an appearance, Ky's voice is strangely calming, and Millia's turbulent emotions start to settle. As she sits back down, she realizes her hair is trembling, shaking just like her clenched fists. The Russian beauty takes a moment to calm her thoughts and still her hair. When she speaks again, it is in the cold, measured tone she usually talks in.

"There is good sense in your words," begins Millia. Ky looks like he wants to say something, but Millia cuts him off. "But, this is a matter I wish to settle by myself. Even if Za—Eddie is no longer there, I will be more likely to find a clue to his whereabouts if I leave now rather than later."

The ex-assassin stands, getting ready to leave.

"Thank you for your hospitality and information. I can't waste a single second, so if you'll excuse me..."

"Miss Rage."

Millia halts in front of the door. _What does he want now?_

"I believe you said you had some questions for me."

That's right...she got so wrapped up with this new development that she forgot what she wanted originally. Millia turns to face Ky, but makes no move to take a seat.

"Can you tell me who set this new bounty on my head?"

"What?"

"You heard me. The IPF controls the official bounty list, so whoever put the bounty on my head has to be on record."

Ky's lips turn down in a frown. He gets up and walks over to his jacket, from which he pulls out a piece of paper. It's the latest bounty list. Ky hands the paper over.

"Your name...is not on the updated list."

How can this be? Those two were self-proclaimed bounty hunters, and they didn't appear to be lying. Nor did they seem to have a reason to lie. The list, however, says otherwise.

"This can't be right. I was just attacked by two bounty hunters yesterday."

"Then the bounty they were chasing is either imaginary or unofficial."

A personal vendetta eh? Certainly, Millia's earned many enemies thanks to her former profession, but to think they would go to this length... It can't be helped.

"Do you still plan to pursue Zato?"

"Eddie. If the Beast is truly possessing his body, then his name is Eddie. And yes, I do. A couple of bounty hunters won't stop me."

"Then allow the police to help. After all, having such a beast loose is a threat to civil security."

Millia is about to decline his offer, but Ky continues to speak.

"We won't interfere in how you conduct your pursuit, but we can provide you with support."

Ky opens a drawer in his desk and fishes out a brass badge. It has the crest of the IPF as well as the words _'associate, level 3'_ inscribed on it.

"Present this badge to any branch of the IPF and you will have access to unenchanted weapons, transportation, and records."

Millia accepts the badge with a grateful nod.

"Ahh, yes. A man asked me to pass this on to you as well. He said you would know what to do when the time comes"

Ky reaches into his jacket's pocket once more and brings out a golden dagger. Millia recognizes this weapon. How long has it been since her hair was cut? Seven years ago? Eight? It seems the old bat is still up to his antics. _I'll know what to do when the time comes eh?_ The blonde puts both metallic items into an inner pocket.

"Thank you," says Millia. "If there is nothing else..."

"Good luck Miss Rage. May it be well with you."

With that, Millia turns and leaves the room. She heads down the hall, making plans for travel already. Any officers she passes by in the hallway scrambles to get out of her way, and she pays them no heed.

Perhaps this is what her dreams meant, that her past is not yet settled. That is going to change. Millia makes this resolution on her life: she's going to bury Zato for good, and she's going to move on from the past.

* * *

 **Shoutouts to "Will Not Rest" by Rallamajoop.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Pursuit of Truth - Martin O'Donnell**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

Ky leans back in his chair and takes a sip of his coffee. The clock on the far wall says it's currently half past nine, which means he's been awake for over an hour now.

Ky buries his face in his hands. Even though he's gotten more sleep last night than he's had in the entire last week, and even though he's had an hour to wake up, his eyes still feel heavy and his head feels clogged with weariness. Unfortunately, the job of maintaining order and enforcing justice is an unending job; there's no time to stop and rest.

Ky sets his mug down on his desk and picks up the file he was reading.

 _'BXR Recycling Inc.' Quite the misnomer. According to the file, they scavenge for Black Tech in junkyards and ruins of old cities. They supposedly sell usable parts and make small appliances, but those illegal shipments to Zepp clearly came from BXR. The man in charge of the company, Mr. Dawson Zimmerman, doesn't seem to be involved at all. The corruption must be coming from lower in the ladder. Unfortunately, it's already impossible to trace where exactly those shipments came from._

 _Hmm, it's quite a long-lived company though. Incorporated in 2131, its original mandate was to scavenge for Black Tech that could be used to manufacture weapons for the Crusades. It was commissioned by…a black bar? The information has been redacted? What does this mean? Have I finally found a lead?_

Ky pushes his chair back and stands up as his brain races to process this information. According to the date at the top left of the file, the contents were updated two years ago, when Mr. Zimmerman became CEO. Perhaps older versions of this file will have the uncensored commissioner. Unfortunately, his local archive doesn't have any older versions.

The blond officer turns around to face the bookshelves lining the wall behind his desk. He searches for a book titled 'Databases in the 22nd Century' and pulls the top of the book out until a click is heard. The bookshelf and the section of wall behind it lift up, revealing a ladder that goes down. Ky climbs down the ladder and comes to a small passageway lit by pale magical lights. He walks to the end of the passage and pushes open a wooden door to enter a small room illuminated by the same lights that light the passageway. Several other doors are beside Ky's, leading to various other locations within the headquarters. At the far wall is a massive monitor. A scanner embedded on top of the monitor quickly scans Ky, and the monitor lights up as access is given to him. Ky has reached the database of the IPF.

Even after six years with the police force, Ky still doesn't feel right accessing the IPF database. After all, this is Black Technology. How can the IPF so heavily regulate and restrict civilian use of Black Tech and yet use it so extensively themselves? This hypocrisy leaves a bitter taste in Ky's mouth. Even worse is the fact that it's so secretive. Ky read that during the era when firearms were allowed, the authorities heavily regulated civilian use of guns, but they made no secret of the police and army using those weapons. That's the way things ought to be: Civilians should know how much power the police have and operate within the limits set by the authorities, and the police should be transparent with their affairs and serve the public interest.

Nevertheless, Ky can't deny that having so much information available is very convenient. It's helped him a lot during his time as an officer, but he can't help but wonder why it's not available to more members of the police force. Ky only has access because he's a captain, most of his subordinates don't have the clearance to access the database.

Ky pushes such thoughts out of his mind and focuses on finding older versions of the file he was browsing. The IPF database normally only has the most recent version of files stored online, but their technician, Ray, made local copies of files every time they were updated. The scanner traces Ky's movements, allowing him to use the computer with his hands. Ky searches for the folder on BXR Recycling, and opens it up once he finds it. The blond opens the earliest file and scans through it.

 _'Incorporated in 2131 at the behest of the Post-War Administration Bureau.'_

 _The Post-War Administration Bureau, huh? That sounds innocuous enough. Strange, though. I've never heard of them before. Perhaps I should look into them._

A quick search of 'Post-War Administration Bureau' through the IPF's database reveals…nothing. There's not a single positive search result in the entire database. Ky isn't surprised. It's very likely that all mentions of the Bureau have been redacted. The blond runs a search through the local copies as well, but also finds nothing.

At this point, Ky should really give up and do something more useful. The Bureau is probably a long defunct agency of the United Nations and completely unrelated to the case, but Ky is feeling very curious. The IPF's database is extensive, containing information on people, events and organizations stretching back to the previous millennium. That there is not a mention of the Post-War Administration Bureau is strange, and deserves a little bit of investigation.

A thought occurs to Ky. Some of the files Ray copied had no title, and their subjects were censored. They may be worth looking into.

The Frenchman pulls open the folder of censored files and starts looking through them. Most files' subjects (even as censored black bars) are pretty short, so Ky disregards those. When he finally finds a dossier with an approximately appropriate subject length, he opens it up and reads through it.

 _'The [CENSORED] was founded in 2093 by the United Nations to manage affairs in the aftermath of the Crusades.'_

It certainly sounds like it's talking about the Post-War Administration Bureau. Ky continues reading.

 _'The original mandate of the [Post-War Administration Bureau] was to manage domestic affairs of member nations so as to free up more resources for the War, and to ensure a smooth transition to peacetime. The head of the [Post-War Administration Bureau], Dr. Gurjeet Mohar, came up with many concepts of structures to be implemented during wartime to aid the efforts which can also be easily re-purposed for peacetime. The following is a list of the organizations the [Post-War Administration Bureau] is responsible for:'_

There is a list of organizations sort in descending alphabetical order with their founding date printed beside them. Ky quickly scans the list and, sure enough, BXR Recycling is there. So this is the correct file. A brief skim of the list reveals that the Bureau had a hand in the formation of several other organizations, including the IPF and the Magic Guild.

Below the list is a little blurb that reads as such:

 _'After 2136, the [Post-War Administration Bureau] began to switch focus from managing civil affairs to weapons development, specifically researching biological weapons. Following several inhumane experiments in 2140, the most noteworthy of which being the Human Gear Project, the [Bureau] was disbanded. However, several events in the past few years suggests that the [Post-War Administration Bureau] still exerts influence in world affairs, the most notable of which is the secretive Forbidden Beast Project. The [Post-War Administration Bureau] appears to hold key positions within many of the organizations they've established and, in the opinion of this investigator, require immediate attention. There may be machinations afoot that may threaten the peace of this new era.'_

Ky's blood freezes. _The [Post-War Administration Bureau] appears to hold key positions within many of the organizations they've established_. If that is true, then it's possible they have a hand in the shipments to Zepp after all. But wait! The Bureau also founded the IPF; they could have members within the police force as well. In fact, it's more than likely. Why would the IPF database have no mention of the Bureau unless the Bureau actively wiped all mentions of themselves out? And if the Bureau can manipulate the database, then the bounty system is not outside of their grasp either. The dots begin to connect in Ky's head, and a coherent case begins to form in his mind. However, there is no conclusive evidence yet, he will have to—

A new window pops up with a ring, informing Ky that there is a guest waiting for him at his office. The blond shuts down the system and heads down the passageway that leads back up to his office. Once Ky is back in his office, he pulls down on the raised bookshelf, and hidden machinery lowers the wall and bookshelf until everything is in place again.

Ky has barely any time to ready himself when two sharp raps sound from the door. He scrambles to sit at his desk and look inconspicuous.

"Please come in," Ky answers.

Millia obliges and enters the office. She looks different somehow. Why would that be? Ah, of course: her hair. Last night, when Millia was unconscious, her hair was at its full length. Now her hair has been compacted to shoulder length. Different too is her expression. It's guarded and so neutral that it's hostile, quite unlike the look of peace she had last night.

 _Last night..._ Images comes unbidden to Ky's mind just as their eyes meet, and the captain looks away, fully aware of the heat on his cheeks. He takes a deep breath to steady himself. _Hopefully she won't ask about last night._

"So I take it you have some questions for me," states Millia as she takes a seat. Her voice, as well is cold and measured.

"Must you be so blunt, Miss Rage?" replies Ky. The knight has his duties as a host, and he hasn't even offered his guest any refreshments yet. "Will you not have some tea? It might be a bit cold, but is a simple matter to heat it—"

"Let's get straight to the point. We both have more important things to deal with, I'm sure. Besides which, I have a few questions for you too."

 _More important things...you don't know the half of it._ "Right you are. Well then, first things first. Concerning Venom..."

"I don't know anything about him. Why he attacked me, what he's going to do next...it's all a mystery to me. In fact, I haven't seen him since leaving the Guild."

That's no surprise. Millia has been out of the Guild for years now. Even if she worked with Venom before, all her intel is probably outdated now.

"I thought as much. But Venom and the Assassin's Guild isn't what I really want to ask you about." Millia's eyes widen a bit in surprise, but she otherwise has no reaction. "Zato-1. You killed him, correct?"

"Yes," snaps Millia instantly. "Unmistakably."

Ky hums in acknowledgement as he digs through the stacks of paper on his desk. He pulls out a report and slides it towards Millia. She picks it up and begins reading.

 _The unfortunate task of telling her this news falls on me._

The Russian's eyebrows furrow in confusion. She must have read to that part.

"The line about the police being unable to identify the substance is a lie. We have, in fact, analyzed the material and found a match. However, we can't simply tell the press our results, because the existence of Forbidden Beasts is not public knowledge."

Confusion gives way to realization, which changes to disbelief.

"How?" cries Millia as she bursts out of her chair. Her hair also springs to life, lashing out like a whip beside her. Most people would cower away, but Ky is already familiar with this peculiarity and doesn't even flinch. "He's dead; I killed him with my own hands!"

"I was hoping you could tell me, seeing as you are a Forbidden Beast user."

"No. This is impossible! There must be some kind of mistake!"

It's rather surreal to see the usually composed Millia display so much emotion. Conflicted blue orbs reveal a depth of emotions, ranging from anger to disbelief to horror to pain. Ky can't even begin to imagine what life in the Assassin's Guild was like, but Zato must've been a big influence to evoke such a reaction.

"Please calm down, Miss Rage. According to the few files we managed to recover when we busted the Forbidden Beast Project, all Forbidden Beasts, to one degree or another, have a mind of their own. Could it be possible for a Beast to possess the deceased body of its caster?"

The ex-assassin pauses. At first her expression is doubtful, and then it changes to thoughtful. Next there is a slight shift in her expression (Ky can't quite put a finger on what exactly changed), and she snatches up the report and starts reading it once more. Millia doesn't say a word, but her frenzied actions confirm Ky's theory. Zato walks the earth still.

Most concerning is Millia's reaction. Her hair is twisting and turning in manners that no natural things can, and the Russian doesn't even seem to notice. Indeed, Ky is doubtful of whether she's in control of her hair or if it's just responding to her emotions. Millia has an intense look in her eyes and her body is shaking. There's no question that she's acting on emotion alone, and that's dangerous. It is Ky's responsibility as a knight to prevent that.

"Miss Rage. Please think this through. This report was filed five days ago. No further incident has been reported. Wherever he is, he is probably not there anymore. Going now will not change a thing."

"So? What should I do then?" spits Millia spitefully. The venom in her voice is palpable, and Ky struggles to exert enough calmness for the both of them.

"I understand this is a personal matter for you. Zato must've been someone very important to you, and I am not so arrogant as to tell you how to handle your own affairs. However, I must urge you to not act rashly. Please think things through and consider your options."

Surprisingly, Millia begins to relax. Her hair stops its wild contortions and is only mildly trembling. The blue eyed woman sets the report down and sits. She takes a deep breath, and when she speaks again, it is in her normal, ice-cold tone.

"There is good sense in your words," begins Millia. _But you're not going to listen._ "But, this is a matter I wish to settle by myself. Even if Za—Eddie is no longer there, I will be more likely to find a clue to his whereabouts if I leave now rather than later."

The ex-assassin stands, getting ready to leave.

"Thank you for your hospitality and information. I can't waste a single second, so if you'll excuse me..."

"Miss Rage."

Millia halts in front of the door, and her body stiffens.

"I believe you said you had some questions for me."

Millia turns to face Ky, but makes no move to take a seat.

"Can you tell me who set this new bounty on my head?"

"What?"

"You heard me. The IPF controls the official bounty list, so whoever put the bounty on my head has to be on record."

Ky frowns. To the best of his knowledge, there is no bounty on Millia at the moment. He gets up and walks over to his jacket and takes out the bounty list Slayer gave him last night. Indeed, the Russian beauty's name is not there. He hands the paper over for Millia to take a look.

"Your name...is not on the updated list."

Millia looks over the list and confusion causes her to furrow her brows.

"This can't be right. I was just attacked by two bounty hunters yesterday."

"Then the bounty they were chasing is either imaginary or unofficial."

Millia digests this information with a frown, but doesn't appear too perturbed. It doesn't appear like this new development will deter her from finding Zato.

"Do you still plan to pursue Zato?"

"Eddie," snaps Millia. "If the Beast is truly possessing his body, then his name is Eddie. And yes, I do. A couple of bounty hunters won't stop me."

"Then allow the police to help. After all, having such a beast loose is a threat to civil security."

Millia looks like she wants to decline his offer, so Ky speaks before she can protest.

"We won't interfere in how you conduct your pursuit, but we can provide you with support."

Ky opens a drawer in his desk and fishes out a brass badge. It has the crest of the IPF as well as the words _'associate, level 3'_ inscribed on it.

"Present this badge to any branch of the IPF and you will have access to unenchanted weapons, transportation, and records."

Millia accepts the badge with a grateful nod. Ky remembers something else as he moves to give her the object.

"Ahh, yes. A man asked me to pass this on to you as well. He said you would know what to do when the time comes."

Ky reaches into his jacket's pocket and brings out the dagger. A jolt passes through him again, though he disregards it this time. He hands both the weapon and the badge to Millia, who stashes them away in an inner pocket.

"Thank you," says Millia. "If there is nothing else..."

"Good luck Miss Rage. May it be well with you."

With that, Millia turns and leaves the room. She doesn't notice that her hair is once again flicking back and forth like a snake.

Ky sighs as he sits back in his chair. Giving Millia the level 3 associate badge like that was impulsive and beyond his authority. Hopefully his CO won't chew him out too hard.

The blond prepares himself for a good session of filling out paperwork. First he has to get authorization for Millia's badge, and then he has to request permission to go on leave to investigate the bounties. Hopefully he'll be done before noon.

* * *

 **Transition chapter next. These two's paths will cross again.**


	7. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the long absence. Please accept this whopping 5800 word chapter (before AN's) as an apology.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

Millia walks down the street, absentmindedly flipping over the few world dollars in her pocket. She had just over 200 world dollars in her bank account, which might be enough for a train ticket to her destination, but that will leave her with no money for food or other necessities. In the blonde's experience, it is better to save her money for food. After all, it's not too hard to sneak onto a train.

Her best bet of boarding a train would be near Le Petit Rosne crossing, which is on the other side of the city. The 43 line will take her close, but it will still take her the entire afternoon to get there. Perhaps that's good, because—

 _Thump._

Millia is snapped out of her thoughts when she collides into someone's back. She's about to apologize, but her words die in her throat when she realizes who she bumped into.

 _Red dress, brown hair wrapped in that ridiculous loop...it's that bounty hunter from yesterday!_

Jam turns around with slight annoyance to see who walked into her, and her expression shifts instantly to that of surprised recognition.

"Aiyah!" she cries. "It's you!" Several passersby turn to look at the commotion. Millia tenses. Surely the bounty hunter is not thinking of causing a fight on a crowded road! Worst comes to worst, the blonde will just have to run away. What Jam does next, however, catches her by surprise.

The brunette bows. Her waist bends ninety degrees and her gaze is directed at the ground, such is the depth of her bow.

"I'm very sorry for the trouble I caused you," mumbles Jam, who has clearly eaten some crow. "A nice gentleman in a black coat told me the bounties I was chasing were made up."

Millia is rather taken aback, though her face doesn't show it. The Chinese woman seems like the headstrong type, so it's a shock to see her apologizing like this.

"That's fine," Millia manages to reply. "Just be careful about picking the wrong target next time."

"Allow me to make up for my mistake by treating you to a meal at my restaurant."

As hungry as Millia now realizes she is, she has a more pressing matter to attend to. "I'm in a hurry, so how about later?"

"Ehhh? No way! I can't just come to France whenever I want, and there's no easy way for you to find me. It has to be now!"

Millia wants to refuse a bit more firmly, but Jam has already placed a hand on her arm, the strong grip making it impossible for her to get away.

"Fine," concedes Millia. "Let's make it fast then. Where's your restaurant?"

"...China." That's on the other side of the world, and the opposite direction of where the Russian wants to go! Impatience starts to gnaw at Millia's belly.

"Well, that's a problem."

"Yeah, especially since I have no way of getting back."

"What, did you spend all your money getting here?"

"Not exactly. The woman that gave me the fake bounty list also kinda teleported me here."

Teleportation...back in the Assassin's Guild, a couple of the Guild's mages managed to tap into the Magic Guild's worldwide teleportation grid, allowing the assassins to traverse the world easily. Millia has never been to Paris as an assassin, but, seeing as there's a node in every major city around the world, she's willing to bet there's one here too. However, breaking in and using it for her own purpose is out of the question. The teleportation spell unfortunately requires at least three mages to be directing it, and Millia can't threaten three people at once.

"You wouldn't happen to have enough money for both of us to catch a train to China would you?" pipes up Jam.

"No."

The two of them stand there awkwardly, at a loss as to what to do next.

"You think if I caused a big enough ruckus," begins Jam, "the authorities would deport me back to China?"

"That might work, if you don't mind a criminal record and never being able to come back to this country again."

The chef seems to deflate as her idea is shot down.

Wait a second; Jam said something to give Millia an idea. The authorities...IPF...Ky Kiske... What did he say again?

 _"Present this badge to any branch of the IPF and you will have access to unenchanted weapons, transportation, and records."_

Millia's hands shoot into her pocket and wrap around the cool brass of the badge Ky gave her. She had access to free transportation all this time! If only the blonde slowed down to think things through, she wouldn't have to deal with this detour to China.

"I have a solution," says Millia.

"Really?" asks Jam, instantly perking up.

"Yes. Follow me."

With that, the Russian turns on her heels and walks off in the direction of the police headquarters. Her Chinese companion falls in behind her.

* * *

A wall of cool air greets Millia as she steps out of the noonday sun into the IPF headquarters. Behind her, Jam emits an audible sound of relief.

The taller woman scans the area before heading for the receptionist's desk. The receptionist that had been on duty in the morning is replaced by a sandy blond—Brian says his name tag—who looks up from his book as Millia's footsteps approaches him.

"Welcome to the Central Parisian branch of the International Police Force," he greets smoothly. "How may I help you?"

Millia digs out the badge and places it on the desk. "We need help getting to China."

Brian checks the badge over before nodding and pointing to the left. "The hallway furthest to the left will take you to where you want to be."

Millia shoots him a word of thanks before stuffing the badge back into her pocket and gesturing for Jam to follow her. The leftmost hallway is fairly short, and soon the two women find themselves in a massive circular room. It's not unlike the main lobby, with hundreds (possibly thousands) of wooden doors branching away. The room appears to be normal, but Millia's Forbidden Beast, which is sensitive to magic, can feel it: this place is the nexus of many spells.

"Hey, what does this say?" asks Jam, pointing to a plaque above one of the doors.

"It says 'Kandahar, Afghanistan.'" Answers Millia. The door next to it says 'Khost, Afghanistan', and the one next to that is labelled 'Kunduz, Afghanistan.'

"Hmm, the doors seem to be labelled with the names of cities in alphabetical order," muses the ex-assassin as she walks and scans each plaque. "If my hunch is correct, then..." Millia's voice trails off as she reaches the end of the Afghani cities.

"Tirana, Albania. That confirms it. The doors seem to be labelled by towns and cities of the world in alphabetical order by country." The Russian turns to face Jam. "You said your restaurant is in China. Now tell me, which city is it in?"

"Hong Kong."

Millia nods and sets off to find the appropriate door, Jam bringing up the rear. It takes a surprising amount of time; there are more cities in the world than she thought there were. After a minute of silent searching, the cook decides to speak up.

"So...uh...thanks, for reading the signs."

Millia doesn't feel the need to respond.

"It's not that I can't read English, it's just that those words were very foreign, and I wasn't sure what they meant."

"...You're embarrassing yourself."

Jam wisely decides to not talk anymore. The rest of the search is conducted in silence. To Jam's relief, it doesn't take too long afterwards to find the door with the Hong Kong plaque over it. Millia doesn't know what to expect but, after the crazy tingling her hair experienced when passing through the doorway, emerging into an identical rotunda is the last thing she expects.

"Ehhhh? Is this a joke?" exclaims Jam, anger coloring her voice. "Another one of these rooms!"

"That can't be. The police building is not big enough to physically contain another room like this. There must be something we're missing."

Millia turns around to examine the door. Curiously enough, the plaque above the door on this side reads "Paris, France." The blonde goes through the door beside the one they came from, which is labelled "Reims, France," to enter into another identical room.

"Aiyah!" wails Jam as she sticks her head through the doorway. "This just goes back to where we were! Are we stuck in this maze?"

"No," responds Millia. "This doesn't lead back to where we came from. Both this sign—" the taller woman points up at the plaque which reads 'Hong Kong, China'"—and the sign over the first door says 'Hong Kong'. That should be impossible, given the spatial difference between the doors."

"So...what does this mean?"

"It means," answers Millia as she steps back into 'Hong Kong', "that we're already in Hong Kong. Let's go."

"Ehh? What? How?"

"Teleportation. The IPF must link all of their headquarters via the Magic Guild's teleportation grid." This is just a guess on her part, but if the Assassins can access the grid covertly, then the police force should easily be able to do so legally.

"...I'm still confused."

The ex-assassin sighs in exasperation. "Stepping through these doors will take us to a different city anywhere in the world, and by stepping through the 'Hong Kong' door we have arrived at your city instantly."

"Wow, the wonders of modern magic!"

Millia's hunch is confirmed as soon as the women leave the room. Every officer they meet on their way out of the station is Chinese. Exiting the station proves to be a trivial matter, as the layout of the Hong Kong headquarters is identical to the Parisian one, even if the building material is wood rather than stone and much less decorated.

The ex-assassin pushes the double doors leading outside open, and is instantly forced to look down as a brilliant orange sunset shines directly in her face. For a second, Millia is confused. It's noon, the sun should be at its zenith. Then, the confusion passes as she remembers she's on the other side of the planet now.

Millia takes a moment to take in this foreign new world she finds herself in. Life clearly proliferates here. The evidence for that is everywhere, not just in the throngs of people crowding the roads. It's in the buildings (wooden and two-three stories compared to the six story stone apartments of Paris), which vie against each for space to the extent that structures seem to grow out of each other. It's in the air: the smell of bodies, days-old cooking oil, and waste—human and animal alike—permeates the atmosphere and threaten to overwhelm Millia's senses. It's a lot to take in at once, and the blonde finds herself at a loss as to how to proceed.

Thankfully a certain bounty hunter grabs her by the wrist and pulls her onwards.

"It's getting late, so let's go to my home," suggests Jam as she leads the two of them into the crowd. Were it not for the brunette's grip on her arm, Millia would be separated within seconds in this press of bodies. "It's not too far away" –Jam is yelling to be heard now, and even then it's just barely audible— "and there's not a lot of people in that area. No one wants to get near since they think it's bad luck."

"Why would that be so?"

"It burned down."

"What?"

"I said my restaurant burned down." repeats Jam a bit louder.

"We're going to spend the night in a burned down restaurant?"

"Well I've managed to rebuild a little sleeping space so it's not like we're going to sleep outside."

By now the crowd has thinned out, and Millia doesn't have to shout to be heard anymore. Nor does it feel like she's being squished in from every direction anymore.

"We don't have to spend the night in Hong Kong," suggests the blonde. "We can wait for the morning to come in Paris. That's probably a better idea than sleeping in a burned down building."

What Jam's response is, Millia will never know because the bounty hunter will never vocalize it. Golden locks flare into activity and form a protective shield around the back of Millia's head. Something smashes into the barrier with enough force to make the Russian take a step forward. A sense of déjà vu grips Millia as the people around her (sans Jam) screams and backs away at the sight of her hair coming to life. The former assassin doesn't pay any heed to the people gawking and pointing at her. Someone is after her life, nothing else matters at the moment.

"What's going on?" asks Jam in surprise as she takes a step back.

Millia whirls around, but does not catch sight of her attacker. In a crowd like this, thinner though it may be, it is simplicity itself for a trained assassin to blend into the background and escape. Something tells her that the attack is not over yet.

"Stay here," orders Millia. "This is my fight."

People part before her as the blonde runs back to where her attacker was. There is an alley to the side, but which way did he go?

A pool ball flying towards her from the left both alerts Millia to her attacker's position and confirms her suspicions: Venom is here and after her life (again).

A mass of yellow hair slams the projectile into the ground as Millia dashes into the alley in pursuit of Venom. The confused noises of the crowd behind her fades away as she sprints down the corridor. It occurs to her that this may be a trap, but she continues on anyways.

More balls shoot out from the darkness of the narrow passage, but the Forbidden Beast deftly deflects them. Before long, the alley widens out into a rectangular cul-de-sac. Multiple fire exits lead into it, and there are multiple dumpsters and garbage cans scattered near the sides. There could be assassins hiding in or behind them. Furthermore, Millia is aware of two presences on the rooftops around the entrance to the cul-de-sac. In the center of the opening stands Venom.

"You again. I'm getting really tired of you." says Millia casually as she enters the open area.

"Rejoice, then. Today is the last day you'll ever see me, as well as your last day on this earth," replies the Guild's leader.

The two assassins above her leap down from their perches. Millia doesn't even turn to face them. Her golden mane extends out and, in a single flick, cuts down the masked assailants before they enter striking range with their weapons. Millia ignores the soft _thumps_ of lifeless bodies crashing to the ground, instead focusing her attention on what's in front of her. Most of her attention is on Venom, but, in the back of her mind, she's always watching for more hidden assailants. It is this precaution that allows Millia to spot one of the trash cans' lid lift just as the white haired assassin shoots a pool ball at her.

The Russian woman takes off, running in a curved line towards Venom so as to dodge his projectiles easier. As Millia closes in, the dark skinned killer thrusts his cue out, seeking to impale her. The white clad fighter gracefully flips over both the weapon and her opponent. Mid-flip, she gives her hair a flick, separating a lock of her hair and sending it flying towards the trash can whose lid had risen suspiciously. Even after separation, the hair is enchanted and flies straight like a javelin. It easily pierces the aluminum of the garbage container and exits out the other side. The blood that splatters out with the golden pin confirms Millia's suspicions.

"Have any more friends?" challenges Millia as she turns to face the new leader of the Assassin's Guild.

"It's my lucky day," chuckles Venom darkly as he rolls balls out of his sleeves into his gloved hands. "Not only has Master Zato's body been spotted nearby, but now I find you as well? In just one day I'll be able to put Master Zato to rest _and_ avenge him!"

If Millia isn't so focused on Venom and the upcoming confrontation, she would've registered all of what he said. "You've come to resemble Zato, you know?"

"Hmm?"

"That man was always consumed by his obsessions. For him it was the "perfect assassin." For you it is Zato himself. How fitting that you should follow in his footsteps."

"Say what you will," seethes Venom as the balls in his hands starts to form a star shape around him. "I will uphold my loyalty. I don't expect someone like you, who threw everything away, to understand."

"And now you are involving me in your obsession too. I fear for you if you keep going down this path."

"Enough! Shut your mouth!" With that shout, Venom spins his cue, sending all the balls flying towards Millia. The former assassin raises her hair in defence, but is surprised when she feels no impact against her hair. The balls speed past her, crashing into a wall behind her. The purpose of those projectiles was to prevent her from moving! Millia lowers her defence to see Venom swinging his stick low, trying to sweep out her legs. She never expected the long range specialist to go for a close range attack. The Russian woman jumps over the attack and snaps a leg out. The white haired assassin jerks to the side to avoid the kick, but cannot dodge it fully. Millia's foot connects with Venom's deltoid, sending him stumbling back.

The projectile specialist seems to take this new development in stride, using the space to keep away and launch ball after ball at Millia. The blonde is forced to run to avoid the balls and using her hair to block any she can't dodge. Each ball is capable of breaking bones if it hits. Millia's stamina hasn't atrophied to the point where a little bit of dodging will wear her out, but Venom can definitely outlast her if this becomes a battle of endurance.

 _Venom is accustomed to taking down his targets with his sniper-like precision. If I can get close to him, his fighting ability drops drastically. He may have been able to best me yesterday, but now that I'm rested up, such a thing will not happen again._

Millia's hair can outrange Venom's cue, but the amount of concentration such an attack would require will force her to stop moving, and such a loss of mobility may prove to be fatal. Thus the better strategy is to slowly close the distance between the two of them. And close the distance she does; the gap between them shuts as Millia circles around her foe.

Once Millia is in range, Venom slams the butt of the cue down to crush her skull. The ex-assassin sidesteps, and white haired killer swipes after her. Millia somersaults forwards and rolls under the cue, ending up behind Venom. He tries to hop away and gain some distance, but it is too late. Millia shakes her head downwards, sending her hair to smash into Venom's stomach like a hammer. As the dark skinned assassin gasps for breath, Millia commands her hair to pick him up and throw him against a dumpster. The impact is strong enough to leave a dent on the metal box.

The blonde bends low and dashes towards her foe, not wanting to let up on the pressure at all. With his back to the dumpster, Venom has nowhere to go. He parries a few slashes and, while Millia is recovering from a particularly hard downwards crush, shoots forward while twirling his cue in his right arm. This move catches Millia off-guard—she expected such a weak close quarters fighter to try to maneuver away, not go in—and forces her to block with her arms. The stick collides with her bare arms, forcing a hiss of pain to escape through her clenched teeth. Her forearm isn't fractured, thankfully, but the pain forces her back. Venom, however, doesn't press his advantage. Rather, he takes a couple of steps back to continue attacking Millia from afar.

Millia finds herself impressed by Venom's adaptation. He has clearly accepted the weakness in his fighting style and has worked to improve in that area. But it's strange; in all the years they worked together, Venom has never once bothered to seriously improve his close range fighting abilities. Something must be afoot.

"So even this old dog can learn new tricks," comments Millia as a ball zips over her head.

"Of course," responds Venom. He stabs out with his cue to prevent Millia from getting too close. "As the guardian of Master Zato's legacy, I must have no weaknesses if I am to fulfill his ambition."

"Zato's ambition?"

"I'll make sure the Guild continues to expand its business. And no one, not even the Guild's founder, will stand in my way."

"Expand its business? Do you really think that's what he wanted? The Guild was only ever his tool to satisfy his obsessions with."

"Watch your mouth woman." With the white hair obscuring his face and his neutral tone, anyone unfamiliar with Venom might think he's unaffected by this exchange of words. However, Millia is able to pick up on the subtle nuances in his voice denoting anger. Indeed, even his stance has become more aggressive. Perhaps if she provokes him more... "You who have betrayed Master Zato and forsaken his gifts have no right to speak of him."

"I had to do it to keep on living. I'd do it again, you know."

"You bastard!" Venom charges forwards with reckless abandon, clearly acting out of rage rather than reason. But even when acting out of anger, the assassin does not present an exploitable opening.

Venom thrusts his cue at Millia's gut, which she promptly blocks. Quick as a flash, the dark skinned fighter drops a ball by his feet and jabs downwards, bouncing the ball off the ground and zooming into the defending woman. While the projectile clashes harmlessly against Millia's defensive wall of hair, it pressures her long enough for Venom to continue his offensive. His offensive ability is amazing; he's managed to incorporate his unique theme of billiards into close-quarters combat well. However, if Millia can escape his pressure and put the assassin on the defensive, this fight will swing in her favor.

Venom launches into a series of three quick jabs with his cue, aiming at the stomach, chest and head, all of which Millia blocks. Venom's strength has certainly increased since Millia left the Guild; each hit, though blocked, forces her back. The mental concentration required to maintain her hair's defensive form is immense, and only increases as each blocked hit puts more stress on her mind. If Venom even lands a single hit, the damage would be massive.

The leader of the Assassins once again bounces a ball off the ground at Millia, forcing her to stay on the defensive. Dropping to one knee, Venom thrusts his weapon, trying to kneecap his opponent. The blonde leaps up to dodge, and Venom launches a ball at her to prevent her from escaping. The white haired killer takes a step forwards and swings down with the butt of his cue. This time, instead of having her hair be an unbreakable shield, Millia allows it to take a more fluid form. Yellow strands bend around the cue (but doesn't yield completely, denying Venom a solid hit) and shoots upwards and outwards in the shape of a wing, though the tip is sharp as a spear. Venom manages to pull back quickly enough to save the soft flesh of his thorax from being pierced, but still sustains a cut to his chin for his blunder.

Millia rushes forwards, not letting Venom regain his composure. She attacks relentlessly in a series of quick slashes and jabs. To Venom's merit, he manages to fend off the assault, but it's clear he's having trouble keeping up. He's being pushed back hard, and once his back is to the wall, he will have nowhere to go. On the next slash of her hair, Millia applies a little bit of magic to leave behind a disk of green energy after a short delay. Venom quickly conjures a florescent green barrier to fend off the disk, but this gives the Russian plenty of time to take to the air and attack him from above. Millia's hair splits into two prongs, one on either side of her head. They swing forward while moving towards one another like a pair of scissor blades. The English assassin parries the blow with his trusty cue, only to realize his mistake too late. The two prongs wrap around the stick and interlock, forming a firm grip on his weapon. The two strands merge at their bases, forming one tress of hair. Millia rotates this tress, ripping the cue out of Venom's hands and flinging it away as she lands in a crouch.

The two combatants find themselves face to face without their weapons. Venom's cue is a few meters to the side and Millia's hair is still reforming after the last maneuver. The dark skinned assassin acts fast, diving for his cue, but Millia acts faster. Using her left arm to support her weight, the blonde drops down and rotate around her limb with her right leg extended straight out. The kick catches Venom in the stomach and sends him tumbling into a wall. Millia rises quickly, her Forbidden Beast once again composed and ready to attack while Venom gasps for breath.

As Millia gazes upon the pathetic sight of Venom on his hands and knees struggling to breathe, she realizes she has no desire to kill him. He may be the leader of the Guild that's after her life, but she can't muster the will to kill him. Maybe it's because of what she said: that he was beginning to resemble Zato. She couldn't help that man; she could barely help herself back then. But for Venom, it's not too late for him to change and avoid the path to destruction. Strange, when did she become so merciful?

Even so, the white haired killer is a threat to Millia's goal and her life, so she can't just leave him be. She's going to have to beat him into submission first.

Millia forms her hair into a massive clenched fist. The former assassin dashes at Venom, reaching him just as he manages to stand upright. An arm of hair collides with his chin in a brutal uppercut. To Millia's surprise, the cue wielding fighter keeps his footing. Just how strong is his determination?

The Russian strikes again, this time ducking down before rising explosively to add more power to her punch. Venom cannot withstand this blow, and is knocked off his feet and into the air. Millia takes off after him, her Forbidden Beast shooting out in a jab. Venom bounces off the hairy fist, into the wall behind him and back to Millia. Said woman concentrates and unleashes a burst of magic from her palms, propelling her forward. Her hair reaches out and slams the white haired assassin into the wall. He remains suspended against the wood for a second while Millia descends to the ground before falling after her. His journey down is cut short by a fist of hair to the chin that launches him back up. Millia becomes airborne again, her hair splitting into two branches, each sporting a fist of its own. One arm punches Venom in the face, causing a mist of blood to spray out as his nose breaks. The other arm boxes him in the sides, possibly causing organ damage, as indicated by the crimson fluid spurting out of his mouth. Once again Millia boosts forward, this time utilizing her Beast's versatility instead of magic from her hands. Her hair shifts from acting as a motor from behind her to stabbing out and smashing Venom into the wall again.

Millia lands in a crouch and commands her hair to stretch forth and grab her battered opponent. She could launch him back into the air and juggle him, but that would be overkill; the dark skinned killer is near the end of his endurance. Perhaps she will just—

"Stop it!" shouts a high pitched voice, causing Millia to pause. It was only a matter of time before all this commotion drew unwanted attention. "You're killing him!"

Millia lets Venom drop to the ground (quite ungently) and turns around to assess her situation.

To her surprise, it's only Jam standing at the exit. How long has the chef been there? Millia didn't pick up her presence at all!

The Chinese woman rushes over to the prone form of Venom. Seeing that he's still breathing, Jam lets out a sigh of relief.

"Relax, I haven't killed him," Millia assures. "I just made sure he won't get in my way for a while." Blue eyes widen as Jam drapes Venom's right arm over her shoulders. "He's a wanted criminal, you know? You should just leave him here." Even her voice betrays her shock.

Jam shakes her head. "It would be better for him to be turned over to the police than to be left here. It is said that the organ harvesters don't care if you're alive or dead and they don't use medicine."

"Hmph," coughs out Venom. "I am not so weak that I will fall to such scum." Jam utters an _eep_ of surprise and drops the wounded assassin, while Millia's hair erupts to life. How is this man still conscious? "Peace, woman. As much as I detest you with every fiber of my being, I know when I am defeated. Nothing good will come from my continued struggling."

"So you are capable of using your brain." Millia doesn't look away even once, even as she backs out of the cul-de-sac, and neither does her hair relax.

"You're leaving me behind. Again." It's a simple statement. There's no demand behind it, no hidden implication. But the bitterness in Venom's voice is powerful enough to make Millia pause. "I suppose I should be used to it, seeing as how that's a recurring theme all throughout my life. It's not just my parents who have left me early on; even in the Guild I was left behind. You and Zato always shared something special. A world that belonged to the two of you which I had no place in, no matter how much I desired otherwise. And even though I've worked so hard to become worthy of inclusion, it's not enough. Master Zato is already gone, and even you I cannot touch.

"I...I just...I just... AAAARGH!" Venom lets loose a frustrated shout as he slams a fist to the ground. Jam shies away from the horizontal man, and even Millia can feel the intensity of his emotions. However, the blonde doesn't say anything. What _can_ she say? This is the first time she's seen Venom vent his feelings so openly before, the first time she's seen anyone vent their feelings openly. She knows nothing to say in this kind of a situation.

And yet, she can understand his frustration. The former assassin knows quite well how bad it feels to watch a back clothed in white and blue recede in the darkness of an alley. Is…is she empathizing with the defeated assassin? What would she, a person whose sole talent is killing, know about empathy? And yet, what other feeling is driving her to say these next words?

"Look, you've got Zato on a pedestal, so take it from someone who knows him." Millia almost grimaces at her tone. She'd meant to be gentle, but what she said just came out as condescending. "He never cared about the Guild. Everything he did was for his own benefit, and the Guild was a tool for that end. We were his slaves, Venom. Don't delude yourself into thinking otherwise. We were never free to do as we pleased, and that's why I left. But Zato is dead now; you're free to pursue your own path. Don't follow in his footsteps."

For a moment, Venom is silent, and Millia turns to leave. But then, the dark skinned killer speaks up, stopping her in her tracks.

"You say that, but you don't seem to be taking your own advice. Isn't the reason you're here in this city the same as mine? To find Master Zato?"

That's right...Venom did mention, during their fight, something about Eddie being spotted in the vicinity. Millia didn't pay too much heed to that at the time, but now that she's out of combat, just the mention of it is enough to bring out nasty emotions out of her. Still, it is quite convenient that Eddie is around. Perhaps it was fate that made her cross paths once again with Jam and be brought here.

"Zato is my business," says Millia coldly. "I must be the one to bury him with my own hands, so that I can finally escape from the specters of the past. Goodbye Venom, may you find your way."

The Russian beauty leaves without looking back, with Jam following behind her silently and awkwardly.

* * *

 **First I'd like to respond to Mr. kawaiijoe. I usually hate people that respond to reviews in their AN's, but as you're a faithful reader and reviewer, and as I have no other method of communicating with you, I'm forced to resort to this:**

I'm glad you've enjoyed what I've written so far! It's honestly very flattering and touching. I'd like to sincerely thank you for taking your time to read. I'm not a romance writer (this is my first foray into the genre), so I hope I'll be able to meet your expectations!

 **I'd also like to extend the same appreciation to everyone that has read my story. You all encourage me with your actions! I'd like to see your (pen)names though, so you become a person in my mind, not just a number.**

 **Next, some bad news. My update schedule (which was already slow), has been shattered since returning from my trip. This coupled with an exhausting new semester (I've got a messed up semester that starts in MARCH) beginning means new chapters are going to become irregular, so you can expect 3-6 month gaps of inactivity. I'll try not to let that happen, but I've always been a lazy person. Expect the worst.**

 **Finally, a bit about this chapter. This was a lot of fun. I love watching Venom's offensive pressure, and writing it out has been just as much of a blast. Millia's air combo was also great, though I had to abridge it a bit. Her in-game moves are just too lethal to be used in this story, as no one is supposed to die except Eddie. I've always had a thing for incorporating game mechanics into my stories as well, so the bits about guard gauge and faultless defence were also pretty satisfying. I hope you had as much fun reading as I had writing. Until next time.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hey, can you believe it? An update in April! I'm extremely fired up due to reading Piccolo Sky's GGX novelization, which is why I got this chapter out two months earlier than I expected. I wonder how long this motivation can last now that his story is done. Good thing there's still the Missing Link novelization to read! Here's to hoping I can finish this fic while I'm inspired!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

A _clack_ echos through the small office as Ky taps his papers against his desk to organize them before clipping them together. A glance at the clock shows that it's a few minutes before noon. It took him less than two hours to finish his most pressing paperwork, not including a short break for breakfast. Ky is so ahead of schedule that he even had time to do a little bit of research. Unfortunately, whoever offered the new bounties is neither on file nor in the database, further increasing his suspicions. The blond did, however, find the location of the first person on the bounty list.

The former Holy Knight rises from his desk with a package of papers in hand and a destination in mind. First, he has to turn in the forms to his commanding officer. Ky exits his office and shuts the door, leaving Thunderseal behind. It would be inappropriate to bring his weapon to his CO's office.

Lower ranked policemen give way and stand at attention as the easily-recognizable captain walks down the hallways in a manner that is both relaxed and brisk. He soon reaches his CO's office, an unassuming room with a brass plaque beside the door that reads, 'Inspector F. Lapointe'. Ky raps on the wooden door twice before entering.

"Pardon the intrusion" Ky says while stepping into the outer office. Much like Ky's own office, it is minimalistic, devoid of useless clutter, and in a state of orderly chaos. The desk and cabinets are covered by forms, files and papers, but everything is sorted and in their place. A secretary, blonde going grey and wearing a white blouse, looks up from her work upon hearing the sound of the door closing. Behind her is the door leading to Inspector Lapointe's personal office.

"Oh, good morning Captain Kiske," greets the secretary, "how may I help you today?"

"Mrs. Juneau. I just have some forms to hand in."

"Of course. Place them on the proper pile, and I'll get to them right away."

By this point, Ky has turned in so many forms in that his arms start moving without any conscious thought. The associate badge requisition goes on that rack. The report of last night's patrol on the other. And finally...

"Captain Kiske, is that a leave request?" asks the secretary with surprise on her face and mischief in her eyes. Ky barely suppresses a groan. While the woman is by all means a hard worker, she's also a gossiper and terribly fond of ribbing people. He'd better give a vague answer and leave as quickly as possible to save himself some embarrassment.

"Oh? The ever dutiful Captain Kiske finally asks for some time off?" A deep, rich voice laced with good humor joins the conversation. Ky looks up and immediately snaps to attention with a sharp salute. Inspector Lapointe nods in return.

The inspector is a middle aged man with greying brown hair that is combed in an attempt to hide the bald spot on the top of his head. His white-and-blue uniform is crisp and neat, and his body fills it nicely, suggesting a vitality that is only reinforced by the brightness of his grey eyes.

"I'm heading out for lunch now Sophie," Lapointe says to his secretary. "I'll be back before one. But what's this about leave, captain? Taking some time off to see your lady?"

Unfortunately for Ky, the inspector is just as mischievous as his secretary, which is probably why the two of them get along so well.

"Of course not sir. I simply have some private matters to attend to."

"So, which country are you going to?"

"China." The word leaves his mouth before Ky can even consider saying anything else.

The former knight isn't surprised by the inspector's quick thinking (he's not an inspector for nothing), but Mrs. Juneau is. "Ooh, how did you know Captain Kiske was going somewhere else?" she asks.

"Well, first you have to understand what kind of a man Captain Kiske is. These days, he's a busy man. The job of maintaining law and order is a never ending one in this day and age where crime and lawlessness have spread far and wide in the aftermath of the Crusades. For busy people like the captain, time off from work can only be considered for three, maybe four reasons.

"The first reason is family. If something involving his family was to occur, say a marriage or a funeral, then that's a reason to pause his work for a while. Unfortunately for Captain Kiske, this option is off the table as his family is no longer of this world.

"The second reason is if the captain had a lady friend. Women don't like it when you ignore them in favor of work, and they'll complain before long and make you spend time with them. Captain Kiske has already denied this reason, however.

"The last reason is if a matter arises that the captain can't handle as the person he is at work. That is to say, the issue doesn't call for Ky Kiske, the former commander of the Holy Knights and a captain of the IPF. And what kind of problem would call for that? We saw an example in the Commander Gear Incident of March. Captain Kiske's application to join the task force charged with apprehending the Gear was wrapped up in red tape until the higher-ups fast tracked it. I speak, of course, about affairs where it is an impedance to act as an officer of the law. Or rather, the bureaucracy involved with acting as police clashes with the urgency of the matter.

"The only situation where bureaucracy would get in the way is if something important occurred in another nation. After all, if Captain Kiske wanted to investigate somewhere in this city, his occupation would give him the authority to do so in whatever manner he deems appropriate. His status as a war hero would give him the same privilege if he wanted to inquire within the country, even if it's technically outside his jurisdiction. However, not even the former commander of the Holy Knights would be allowed to officially investigate something outside his country. But, as a free man, he can do as he pleases, and people will defer to him out of reputation alone. The only question that remains is: which country does he intend to go to?"

"Brilliant reasoning, inspector," lauds the secretary.

"Thank you Sophie," replies Lapointe with a grin. Ky has some misgivings about the inspector's reasoning. It's true that his unnaturally sharp intuition is one of his strong points, but even for the inspector, there were too many jumps in his thinking. It feels as if Inspector Lapointe has another reason to suspect that Ky intends to leave the country that he's not disclosing.

"So, captain, what is so important that you would personally investigate it?"

Perhaps it's a sign that he's been chasing after Sol for too long, but Ky hesitates to answer truthfully. The hesitance only lasts for about a second before his decent sense drives it away. Inspector Lapointe is a good man and they have worked together in the past. There is no reason to withhold the truth from him, even if his intuition is…unsettling.

"The top bounties are abnormally high, sir. Whoever issued the bounty is not on record either."

"And you suspect foul play?" Ky nods. "I see." Presently, the inspector's tone becomes serious. "If you want my two cents, you'll forget all about this."

"Sir?" Perhaps his hesitation wasn't unfounded.

"In the first place, the bounty system is none of our business. Sure, we regulate it, but our job is to make sure the system is working as it's intended to. And remember the reason we have this system: After the Crusades, the police force was too weak to deal with the crime that's been steadily growing while the world focused their attention on fighting the Gears, so we utilized the civilian population. On top of offering bounties on wanted criminals, people can also report suspects to the bounty system for hunters to pursue and, if the suspect is tried and found guilty, both the hunter and the person who reported the suspect get cash rewards. Our only role in this system is to double check the targets to make sure innocents don't get targeted, and to pay bounties, of course. So unless you think there's someone on the list that shouldn't be there, there is nothing you are obligated to do. People can set bounties as high as they want.

"Besides, if something's going on in China, you can let the boys over there take care of it. We need you here, Captain Kiske. While you were gone in March, all of the gangs and cartels we'd been beating back steadily for the past six years came out of the woodwork at once. And as soon as you returned they fell back in line. You should know this, captain, you've read the reports. Point is, Captain Kiske, our law and order relies on you and your ongoing work. I fear that, without you, our city may see lawlessness the likes of which has not existed since the Crusades.

"We're members of the Parisian branch of the IPF, captain. Our primary concern should be the security of this city's people. Please do not jeopardize it for something that doesn't even concern you."

Inspector Lapointe's words do not sit well with Ky. There's definitely something going on. No one has ever offered a bounty this high for a human before, let alone five at once. Perhaps Lapointe doesn't know this, but his other reasons are flimsy too. If people have the right to set bounties as high as they want, then Ky has the right to investigate whatever he wants, especially on his own time. And as for leaving the country, the blond only on plans on being away for three days. Surely law and order will not fall apart without him in three days. In fact, if the departure is done covertly, the underworld might not even know he was out of town at all. No good reason has been given to stay, and yet, for the usually laid back man to make a request like this, he must have another reason. Why is he not saying it?

Ky recalls the words of the file: ' _The [Post-War Administration Bureau] appears to hold key positions within many of the organizations they've established.'_ Could it be possible that Lapointe is a PWAB agent subtly trying to dissuade Ky from investigating the issue?

Had this been two months ago, Ky would have mortified at bearing such thoughts against a person of authority. He would've argued his position and tried to convince the inspector that his reasons for investigating are just and reasonable. But after all that's happened in the last month, the captain has gained a bit more tact. He decides to ask another question.

"So is my request for leave being denied?"

The middle aged officer pauses for a second before answering in a lighter hearted manner. "No, that would make it sound like you're a prisoner in your own city. If you wish to take some time off, I'm more than happy to grant it. After all, you're only human too. I hear the south is pretty nice this time of year."

Ky is silent as the inspector walks past him and halts before the door. All he needs to hear is that Lapointe won't stop him from going to investigate the bounty issue. "Yes, your free time is _your_ free time; it would be wrong of me to impose orders on them. I trust in your good judgement to make the right choice, captain. Good day."

Ky comes to attention with a sharp "Sir!" as Lapointe leaves the office and heads down the hall. Once the door fully closes, he turns to face the secretary and bows. "Good day to you too, Mrs. Juneau."

The blond swordsman exits his CO's office and heads to his own. There, he collects his coat and Thunderseal. Afterwards, he goes to intercept his deputies before they can leave for lunch. Ky's deputies, who were lieutenants under him during the Crusades, are reliable men, and Ky feels at ease letting them manage affairs while he's gone. He also stops by the cafeteria to grab a bagel to sate his growing hunger, and a cup of coffee to stave off his perpetual sleepiness.

Finally, the captain leaves for his destination. According to the record, which was filed two days ago, a man matching the description of the first bounty target was spotted near the Hong Kong reserve. Of course, two days is a long time for the target to create distance between him and that point, but Ky has a method to track him down. The officer enters the Chamber of Doorways, steps through the portal labelled 'Hong Kong' and finds himself on the other side of the world. From there, he goes to the motor pool.

Civilian use of automobiles is prohibited, but emergency services (the police force, firefighters and hospitals) and the military are allowed to use them, as they are still the best method of mobilizing small groups of people over medium distances. Most of their vehicles are relics from the past century, and all maintenance and new manufacturing are done via special contractors, mostly from Zepp. Ky selects a black and white coupe—gasoline powered, not magic because magic based engines are still new and experimental and have as much of a chance of blowing up as they do working—and signs it out with the officer on duty. Then, he drives west towards the Japanese reserve.

The reserve is a two hour drive, and is surrounded by a dense oak forest. Once the reserve comes into sight, Ky pulls over and concentrates.

One of the legends of the Sacred Order tells of eight divine relics sent by God to help his people combat the threat of Gears. Each of these relics, called OutRage, have distinct energy signatures that trained magic users and wielders of other OutRage can sense if they're in close enough proximity. For example, Ky's own Thunderseal can detect Sol's Fireseal, whose energy signature is like a burning furnace. The man Ky is looking for also wields one of the OutRage, so Ky should be able to detect him if he gets close enough.

The blond doesn't pick up any signatures from his cursory scan. He steps on the gas and continues his search. Pretty soon Ky reaches the gate of the reserve without detecting anything. The former knight is forced to get out of the car (it was never designed for off roading) and search on foot. He circles around the ghostly blue barrier that protects the reserve and heads into the forest behind the settlement. The barrier is a big source of interference, but its signature weakens the further Ky gets.

Luckily, it only takes an hour of walking into trees and stumbling over undergrowth for Ky to find his quarry. The OutRage's signature is like a strong gust of wind, and so inconspicuous that Ky dismisses it as a natural breeze at first. But when the gale does not die down, the blond realizes what he's sensing and rushes towards the source of the signal.

The officer bursts out of tree cover onto a small, forgotten, overgrown footpath. A few meters to his right, his target turns around expectantly.

The man is slightly taller than Ky and sports spiky brown hair. His outfit is flamboyant and ridiculous: a blue _hakama_ covers his legs and is held up by a brown sash. His upper body is bare, revealing his muscular build, save for the pair of connected blue sleeves like those of a kimono's that adorn his arms. Big white stitching runs lengthwise across the sleeves' seams. A pair of high blue boots with strange soles resembling traditional Japanese sandals fit his feet. Covering his forehead is a white bandanna with a section that goes lengthwise over the top of his head. He wears spectacles, though they seem to be for appearance rather than function. In his hands is a pair of brown metallic fans with yellow diamond markings on them. The aura of power emanating from the two fans is overwhelming; they must be the OutRage.

"Ah, so you're the cause of this tingling feeling I've had for the last couple of minutes." The Japanese man doesn't seem to be too alarmed, despite Ky's uniform and his own status as a wanted man. It's better this way; if he gets agitated, the situation could become complicated.

"Mr. Mito Anji, I presume," begins Ky. "There's something I'd like to speak to you about."

"Yeah? What is it?" The Japanese still seems to be oblivious to Ky's occupation, despite his uniform. That's strange; the file purports Anji to be a sharp and resourceful man. Perhaps he is acting dumb in hopes that no trouble arises.

"Well...as a Japanese, you are currently wanted by the authorities."

Anji's expression instantly darkens. "They found me, huh? Well, if you think I'm going to surrender quietly, I've got news for you!" The fugitive brandishes his fans and assumes a fighting stance, though it looks more suited for dancing than fighting.

"Wait, please! That's not what I meant!" pleads Ky. His words fall on deaf ears. Anji draws back one of his fans and flaps it towards the police officer. A dove of pale blue spiritual energy materializes from the relic and flies towards Ky. The dove looks harmless enough, but the Frenchman knows better than to underestimate anything originating from an OutRage. He vaporizes the bird with a blast of electricity from his own weapon. It appears, however, that the projectile was just a diversion; the Japanese man has turned tail and run away.

Ky takes off after him. The brunet is surprisingly fast given his footwear, but Ky gains ground rapidly. The bespectacled fighter half turns and launches another dove behind him to cover his back. Without breaking pace, Ky swats the bird aside with the Thunderseal and continues his pursuit. To his shock, the spiritual bird does not dissipate but instead loops around to attack him from behind. The blond is forced to use another spurt of magic to destroy the projectile. While he is busy dealing with the nuisance, Anji has recovered some of his lost ground.

"Leaving a Japanese camp is a direct violation of the law, but that's not what I'm here for! I just want to ask you some questions!" calls Ky while dodging another dove.

"What do you know, that's what I want to do too! But all anyone thinks when they see me is 'Hey, that's a Japanese guy outside a reserve! I can get a nice sum of world dollars if I get him to one!' So you'll excuse me if I don't want to stick around and chat!"

"It is precisely your bounty that I wish to discuss!"

"...That only makes me want to run faster."

This is going nowhere. If Anji does not wish to stop and talk, then they can run and talk.

"Your bounty has increased tenfold over the last couple of days."

The fleeing Japanese man almost falters. "T-tenfold? That's ridiculous!"

"Indeed. Even if word of your possession of an OutRage got out, the most your bounty would increase by would be three times, maybe four. After all, a Gear killing weapon is not so valuable now that all the Gears are inactive."

This time, Anji halts, and Ky along with him. "So, something fishy's going on huh?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. Can you think of anyone that would pay so much for you?"

"Not really. I try my best to stay out of other people's way, seeing as I'm on the run and all."

That's no surprise. It would be extremely convenient if the targets knew why they were being targeted, and that's frankly quite unrealistic. Ky's real goal in seeking out all the bounties is not to find clues on whoever is after them.

"I see. Thank you for your cooperation. Please lay low and stay alert for a little while."

"Alright. You do the same." What kind of a response is that? The Japanese doesn't even seem perturbed in the slightest. Anji turns around and begins to walk off, but there's something wrong. There's a strange buzzing feeling in the air, the strength of which is enough to cause Ky's head to swim. Can't Anji feel it? It appears not; he's never had any formal training in magic and, even with the aid of his OutRage, he can't sense the buildup of ambient magic. Ky is familiar with this sensation, it usually heralds the entrance of a certain pale skinned Gear, but why would he come here?

A portal opens directly in front of Anji, and spilling yellow-green light. This portal is different from the blood red rents in reality that Testament carves with his scythe. The glaring light makes Ky shield his eyes, but he does catch a glimpse of a figure bursting out of the portal. Its figure is slender, suggesting a female, and her head portion is rather strange. Is she wearing a big hat of some sort?

There's a metallic screeching and a cry of pain of Anji. The portal closes and the light fades, allowing Ky to survey the scene before him.

The figure is indeed a woman, and her attire is outlandish, to say the least. She wears a scarlet witch's hat with a skull design on it. Her black hair is short and frames her face, which brings out its only imperfection: a mole on her left cheek. Fitting her neck is a black leather choker, from which a golden ring dangles. The hoop supports a half-jacket of the same color as her hat that rests low on her arms, exposing her shoulders, and is split at the center, barely covering her breasts. A skintight crimson corset dress binds her torso. High, red boots serve a secondary function as leggings. Resting on a strap is a cyan electric guitar, pulsing with enough imbued magic to rival an OutRage. The woman has prominent curves at the hips and chest.

The woman is by all means very beautiful, but there's something unsettling about her. Her proportions are too ideal, her body too perfect and her being inhuman. This idea is only reinforced when she opens her mouth and speaks.

"My, my, I really have to thank you, Sir Knight." It is immediately obvious that this woman is intentionally making her voice as brazen and seductive as possible. Everything about her is meant to seduce and allure and enchant. Yet it is not enough to disguise her bloodthirstiness or, indeed, the blood that already (metaphorically) stains her hands. "I would never have found this troublesome man if it wasn't for you. How can I _ever_ repay you?"

Lying at the woman's feet is Anji. He bathes in a pool of blood, but the slight rise and fall of his chest indicates that he's still alive. He must've passed out from shock. There's no obvious entry or exit wound on the unconscious Japanese man, but blunt force damage would not cause such massive external bleeding. At any rate, Ky needs to get Anji some medical attention, or he will not last long. As for the woman….

"If you wish to repay me, then you will come along quietly. You are under arrest for assault and battery."

"Ahaha, you're just the cutest! But it just won't do for someone like you to get in the way." With a saucy wink, the red clad woman picks up her guitar like she's about to play at a concert. What she does next, however, is not so benign.

The woman does a backflip and strums her instrument, producing a sound much like the one Ky heard when she entered the scene. Two beams of russet energy shoot out from the guitar and converge on Ky's location. The blond rolls to the side and the attack fizzles by overhead. That last attack was powerful enough to tear his head clean off his shoulders, and surely a similar attack incapacitated Anji. As reluctant as the knight is to hit a woman, her power cannot be ignored. Purely fighting defensively might not be an option.

 _Just who is this woman?_ Wonders Ky as he leaps towards the woman with a vertical slash. _That attack was strong enough to be A-rank magic! But that should be impossible for humans without an OutRage, and I'm not detecting any unique signatures from her guitar._ The guitarist blocks with her instrument. Even if the guitar is not one of the eight holy weapons, it is still strong enough to withstand an attack from one. Ky slices horizontally this time, channeling a bit of electricity to leave a trail of blue lightning in the sword's wake. _She's probably not with the PWAB either. Why would they offer such a massive bounty and then send one of their operatives to take him out anyways? Is she a bounty hunter? Is she afraid I'll take him in without paying her the bounty?_ The woman parries again and lashes out with foot, forcing Ky to step back.

"If it's the bounty you're after, I'll make sure you're paid in full," offers Ky. "So please desist, and I will overlook your offenses. If we do not get that man some medical attention, he will die, and the bounty will no longer be valid."

The woman laughs scornfully. "I couldn't care less about the bounty, sweetie. All this is for _his_ sake."

"Him? How is killing him good for his sake?"

"You don't need to know anything, sweetie. You just need TO DIE!" The woman raises her arms over her head before torpedoing towards Ky with a burst of green energy. She moves quickly and unexpectedly and barrels into the Frenchman, knocking him off his feet and sending him tumbling end over end a couple of meters. Even though Ky has built his endurance up through years of combat against Gears, getting knocked over by the woman hurt. The ground is gravelly and she had hit with all the force of a tractor.

The captain springs to his feet, but the woman is already upon him. She slams her guitar at him again and again, keeping Ky on the defensive. The former knight deflects each blow with the flat of his sword, but not without significant strain. This woman is freakishly strong despite her appearance, and each strike threatens to wrench the sword from his grip, even though his left hand is bracing against the flat of his blade. It appears Ky's assessment from earlier is correct: fighting defensively is not an option.

The blond swordsman blocks another hit and then lets a current flow through his sword before swiping upwards. Thunderseal collides with the incoming guitar and blows the circuitry within the instrument, knocking it back. The scarlet woman gives a shout as sparks fly out of the busted guitar. Ky discharges a blast of lightning from his sword, but the woman avoids it with a massive leap backwards, covering several meters in a lazy-looking bound.

"You hurt Marlene," growls the guitarist. "Do you know what the punishment for that is?" Her tone is no longer teasing and seductive. All that's left is dark, malevolent wrath. From behind her emerge two white, circular, metallic nodes with feathery wings affixed atop. Each node bears one angry looking pink eye. "I'll turn you to ashes, dissolve you in water, turn you into a mud pie, feed you to pigs and turn you into excrement!"

Ky is shocked. He's never heard anyone curse this profusely, and he's hung around rough-talking soldiers—and Sol—all through the Crusades. "You've finally revealed your true colors."

"Oh, pipe down you stinking animal! I'm going to turn you into the pile of shit that you are!" The scarlet musician spreads her stance wide and drops her center of balance low, as if charging up a strong spell. Swirling magenta auras gather around the nodes, and Ky can feel intense magic building up around the balls. It would seem this woman is a powerful mage in her own right, even without her enchanted weapon. In the back of the blond's mind is the awareness that he can feel a familiar burning sensation, but what the feeling means evades him. At any rate, Ky needs to attack now, while the woman is immobilized. If she unleashes her spell, the captain doesn't know if he can block, dodge or neutralize the attack without causing enormous damage to their surroundings. He dashes forwards, lightning crackling from the Thunderseal, but complex pink sigils emerge over the nodes. He won't make it in time!

 **Boom!**

One of the balls erupts in a flower of orange and red flame. As if living, the node falters a bit before the sigil disappears. The woman snaps her fingers, and both winged balls shrink down to the size of buttons, which she affixes to her top.

A figure emerges from the woods. He is covered by the shade of the trees, but Ky recognizes that silhouette anywhere.

"Hmph, luckily for you, I can't play with both of you at once," grinds out the killer musician. "But next time we meet, I'm going to tear out your guts and feed it to you." Turning to face the slowly advancing figure, she continues. "And you, you're still crawling around the earth, are you? Well I'll deal with you in due time, Immoral Flame. Until then, ta-ta boys!"

There's a brilliant flash of green light, and the woman disappears. Ky is left all alone with the other person, who has stepped out of the tree line and into the full illumination of the half moon.

Sol Badguy.


	9. Chapter 8

**Hot damn, I got hit by writer's block four times while writing this chapter. The nice thing is it tends to resolve itself if I just let the story sit for a week or so. Hopefully I haven't made any egregious errors in writing and reasoning.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

"Tch, she got away."

Sol Badguy.

He is a renowned and infamous bounty hunter who never fails to catch his target. He is mysterious and elusive, appearing only to those whom he wishes to reveal himself. He is rough in speech and uncouth in action, speaking his mind and doing as he pleases. He is a legend in the Sacred Order; his strength and uncanny ability to predict Gear movement has led them to victory numerous times. He is the thief and false wielder of the First of the sacred relics, the OutRage Fireseal. He is Ky's sworn enemy and eternal rival. And most importantly...

...He is right here in front of Ky.

Sol looks have not changed since the day he left the Order. His brown, spiky hair is held back by a thick red headband with the words 'rock you' etched on it, and tied in a ponytail that goes down to his waist. A red half vest with black highlights rests on his shoulders, underneath which is a sleeveless, skintight, brown v-neck shirt. Wrapped around his left bicep is a black leather strap. Brown, fingerless gloves cover his hands and half his forearms. Two black leather belts around his waist hold up a pair of stylish white jeans and feed into a metal plate with the word 'Free' engraved on it. Dangling from the plate is a red loincloth. Sol must have need for a lot of straps, because two more of them are wrapped around each thigh. A pair of red boots with brown soles and highlights covers his feet. Fireseal is nowhere to be seen, but the oblong object wrapped in heavy bandages that Sol is carrying in his left hand seems to be it. His muscular build is complemented well by his above average height, making him appear every bit the god of war he was reputed to be during his time in the Sacred Order.

To tell the truth, Ky is a bit overwhelmed. The events of the past few hours were so extraordinary and they transpired so quickly that his mind can't really keep up. First there's the encounter with Venom. Then there's the...interrogation (among other things) of Millia, the appearance of the inhuman gentleman with the monocle, the discovery of the Post-War Administration Bureau, the mysterious woman in red, and now Sol shows up. Ky is no believer in coincidence, so meeting this many powerful people in such a short amount of time must mean something is afoot, he just doesn't know what.

The man in front of the blond has a knack for knowing things before others. Perhaps he might have a clue, loath as Ky is to ask the bounty hunter for anything. Besides which, the woman seemed to know him. "Immoral Flame" she called him.

"Sol, who was that woman?" Ky's tone is cold and hostile, a far departure from his usually polite and courteous manner of speaking.

"Some broad. Hell if I know." And there's Sol's annoying habit of keeping all the information to himself. The brunet seems hellbent on keeping everyone at arm's length and only interacting with other people when it benefits him. Ky knows this, and he knew that Sol wouldn't give him a straight answer, but he wanted to give the bounty hunter a chance before prying the information out of him.

"Don't lie to me Sol. She talked to you, and even called you by a nickname—'Immoral Flame.'" An arc of electricity sparks from Thunderseal as Ky hefts the sword in both hands. "You know more, but you don't want me to know. Why?"

"Look, this is my business, so I'll take care of her. This isn't an issue for the likes of you, man." Sol lowers his left arm so that the tip of the object he's carrying rests on the ground, and he spreads his feet a bit further apart. While the bounty hunter looks relaxed, Ky knows from experience that he's actually alert and ready to move in the blink of an eye.

"Actually, she committed assault and battery and assault on an officer of the law. That woman _is_ my concern."

Sol breathes out a heavy sigh. "You've got a lot of nerve, you know that?"

"Do not misunderstand; I am merely performing my duty. And if you do not cooperate with me, you will be obstructing justice. With all the other crimes you're guilty of, you'd be lucky if you only got executed once."

The fire wielder doesn't respond, but Ky can tell from his eyes that he's thinking hard.

"For the sake of our temporary alliance last month, I will warn you one more time: tell me what you know, or I will take you in."

Staunch, stubborn silence.

"So be it." Ky raises his weapon over his head with his right hand and sticks his other hand out. He turns so the side of his body faces Sol. "Come quietly or I will use force."

The red clad rogue makes no move, neither complying with nor resisting Ky's demand. It matters little to the captain anyways; the man opposite of him is condemned already.

"Very well, force I shall use." With that, the blond swordsman leaps towards Sol with an overhead strike. The taller brunet does not raise his weapon to retaliate. Rather, he weaves to the side, dodging the attack. He then hops backwards to avoid the horizontal slash that follows it. Sol makes no move to fight back, which would normally infuriate Ky, but the officer is grateful right now. He needs some time to collect his own thoughts, which he does while continuing his offensive.

Ky had already dismissed the idea of that crimson guitarist being affiliated with the Post-War Administration Bureau. In fact, he likely would have put her on the back burner of powerful criminals that are loose in the world. However, because of Sol's insistence that he should forget about her, the former Holy Knight cannot let this matter go so easily. This is because he knows the bounty hunter's nature. The brunet has a bad habit of keeping important information to himself and chasing other people away so he can work alone. Therefore, anything Sol tells Ky not to meddle in is a sure sign that the captain should get involved.

In any case, Ky has no idea how to begin to figure out this mystery. Who is that woman, what does Sol want with her, and why? Perhaps the blond needs to approach this problem from a different angle.

"What do you want with that woman?" asks Ky. As he expects, Sol does not answer, but vaults over a blast of lightning instead. "You won't tell me, so let me fathom a guess.

"I've been investigating and chasing you for six years, so I know your pattern of movement well. You're good at staying off the police radar unless you're turning in a bounty, and you always appear in random locations to do that. As for bounties, you're frugal enough to live off the reward money for a long time, but even so, you turn in a bounty roughly once every two weeks.

"That changed, however, after Testament's tournament and Justice's revival. For four whole months afterwards you effectively vanished from the face of the earth, and when you reappeared your pattern changed. You started to turn in bounties less frequently, about once every three months, and more importantly"—a bit of exertion leaks into Ky's voice as he shuffles in with a sweeping kick, forcing Sol to finally block an attack—"you started leaving a trail.

"Even for someone as elusive as yourself, it's impossible to snoop around the ruins without being noticed." This is true. With most cities ravaged by the war against the Gears and with much land scarred by nuclear and magical weapons, the reconstructed areas are worth a lot, and the richer folk that live there don't like having dirty, lower class people in their neighborhoods. As such, the poor, the lowly and the marginalized—a large percentage of the population—have been forced to live in the decaying ruins of destroyed cities. These people are hungry for any opportunity to make some quick money, and reporting information on wanted people, especially one as notorious as Sol Badguy, is an easy way to do so.

"Starting from Spain, you visited the ruins of many old cities across Europe and Asia, and you were heading into Africa when the Commander Gear incident drew your attention to Germany. But after we secured Dizzy's new accommodations, your trail turned westwards. Then, a week ago, you disappeared again, only to reappear here.

"While the pattern of your movement might be worth looking into, the most prominent question is, what were you doing in those ruins? It seems to me like you were looking for something...or someone. That woman said something to me; something about doing everything for _his_ sake. At the time I thought she was referring to the man she had just tried to kill, but it would make more sense if she was talking about an employer, or boss, or benefactor." Sol's face getting darker is a sign to Ky that he's on the right track. "But who is this boss of hers that he can evade your scrutiny for an entire year? The only thing I can think of that has a slight correlation would be Justice's last words: 'If only we could talk one last time...just the three of us.' Who else can it be but the man who was there in the beginning with Justice, the Commander Gear, and Sol, the Guilty Gear? As for who that man is..." Ky discharges a blast of electricity from his sword, forcing Sol to jump over it. While the bounty hunter is avoiding the projectile, the blond leaps in with a sideways swipe. With no other options left, Sol finally raises his object to block, but the force from the clash of the two items is more than he expects, and he is flung to the ground. Ky lands as the bandages that were wrapped around Fireseal flutters to the ground.

"...I can wager a few guesses as to who he is."

"...I think you've said enough," mutters Sol as he climbs to his feet. Without bandages obscuring it anymore, the brunet's OutRage is exposed for all to see. To say Fireseal is a strangely designed sword is an understatement. It has a black, metallic pommel and a red rectangular prism hilt. Its blade is made up of two layers: a thin outer sheet of red metal with holes at its far edge, and an inner layer consisting of a white rectangular block of steel with beveled edges. It looks more like a giant gas lighter than a sword. Given its power over fire, that might actually be the case.

This time, when Ky steps forward with a slash, Sol meets him with an underhanded swing. Although Ky can tell that the brown haired rogue is still holding back a lot of his power, a small part of him feels satisfaction at forcing Sol's hand.

"I said I'd take care of her," grits the bounty hunter. "So why don't you shove off? Besides..." With a mighty heave, the taller man pushes Ky back. "Don't you have more important things to worry about?"

Ky takes a moment to steady his footing before rising to his rival's challenge. "What could possibly be more important than pursuing the creator of—"

Sol cuts him off before he can finish the sentence. "I know you're a lapdog to the people of authority over you, so let me spell it out to you. Not everyone who is in a position of power is good or even deserves to be there." The red clad fire wielder accents his point by dashing forwards with a sideways slash. "Many people, especially those at the top, are there because of money, connections and dirty dealings, and they're the kind of people who hate giving up their power. And do you know how they hold onto that power? Coercion, intimidation and bribery. The same tricks they used to get on top they will use to stay on top, except now that they have actual power; they can do it legally and with far less impedance."

Ky weathers Sol's storm of words and slashes and retaliates with a backhanded chop of his own. "Do you think I am blind to the corruption within our society, Sol? My job is to bring judgment and justice to all who sin, whether they are blatant criminals or backhanded business men. Being in the government or other positions of authority will not save them from God's wrath, and it shall not deter me."

"Is that so, boyscout?" The muscular bounty hunter sidesteps a downwards slice and spins, converting his momentum from evading into a roundhouse kick aimed at Ky's face. "Why don't you take a look at the people in authority over you, the higher-ups of the IPF?"

The shorter blond leans back to avoid Sol's foot and converts the motion into a handspring to gain some space. "What about them?"

Black smoke belches from the vents of Fireseal as the rogue drives its tip into the ground. Heat and magic pulse out from the weapon, igniting a line of fire that crawls towards Ky. "The International Police Force already has bases and buildings in every major city in the world, which is where nearly seventy percent of the 'civilized' population resides. And since last month's incident, they have used that as an excuse to expand into more and more rural areas too. I know about the teleportation grid. With access points all around the world and their privilege to drive vehicles, the police have mobility that is unmatched in history. They are the ultimate world police, able to bring punishment anywhere, anytime at a moment's notice. Tell me that doesn't sound like a dangerous idea to you." The blond officer backpedals to avoid the flames, but Sol bursts out of the inferno with a downwards smash. Ky raises his sword and braces his forearm against the flat of the blade to parry the attack, but he is still brought to his knees by the impact.

"Think about it Ky. The IPF is not a part of the United Nations. After all, for one thing to police a system, that body cannot be part of the system. Of course, there are watchdogs on the police as well, but what can they do? Cut funding? Such a punitive measure cannot deter the military might of the police. There's no police organization in the world except the IPF anymore. Neither can the armies of the substituent countries of the UN stand against them. After all, most of the world's military was absorbed into the Sacred Order during the Crusades, and the IPF absorbed sixty percent of that. The nations are only now starting to develop their military again after so many years of rebuilding. Do you think they can oppose the better trained and better equipped IPF?"

Sol spins with a lateral slice so powerful it creates a shower of sparks when Ky blocks it. "The vast majority of the police force is loyal to whoever lines their pockets. And right now, that happens to be the commissioner and his toadies. And who are they? Last time I checked, they are appointed leaders, which means they follow their own private interests. Sure, they've pledged to align their interests with civil safety, law and order, but what is the worth of a man's oath in this day and age, where resources are so scarce most people wouldn't think twice about selling their own mother for a world dollar? That suspicion should double once a man gets a taste of power and high living. Few people can put what's good for the public over their own pleasure and plenty. You should know this better than anyone after having dealt with the corruption that plagued the Sacred Order in its last few years.

"But let's just say this commissioner and his bunch are good, upright people. What about the next group? What about the one after that? The fact of the matter is the IPF is a military dictatorship just waiting to happen. World police is not, has not, and never will be a good idea. And while this knife is being primed to stab the world in the back, you're running around cleaning up the trash that your 'fearless leaders' would want out of the way anyways. Open your eyes and start looking around you!"

Ky ducks under a slash aimed at his neck and crosses his sword out in front of him, blocking Sol's followup kick. Even though the kick hit solid steel, it is strong enough to send jolts up the shorter man's arms and send him sliding back a meter or two.

The captain is silent after hearing Sol's tirade. The bounty hunter's distrust for authority is a given, and Ky normally would have tuned that whole rant out. However, knowing now what he has learned in the past day, electric swordsman cannot simply ignore Sol's words.

At first, Ky wondered if the brunet knew about the Post-War Administration Bureau, but he dismisses that notion. Sol's phrasing was too vague. If he knew, he would undoubtedly name them outright and direct Ky towards them. Besides, Ky only knows about the secret society because of classified police information and a tip-off from a supernatural source. Even with Sol's penchant for knowing things, the existence of the Bureau is surely beyond his ken.

Nevertheless, the speech fuels Ky's suspicions of a plot by the Post-War Administration Bureau. Before, all he had was a bounty list and straws to grasp at. Now he has a plausible M.O. to work with, although he still doesn't know how the bounty list connects to such a scenario.

Despite all this, Ky knows Sol is holding back on him, in more ways than one. He is holding back his power. Sol's blows, though heavier than before, are not as strong as they can be. In fact, they are not even half as strong as they can be when the bounty hunter gets serious. Sol is also holding back information. Working with the bounty hunter so closely during the affair with Dizzy has led Ky to realize one thing: Sol doles out information on a need-to-know basis. What's more, he releases information only when he deems the recipient is ready (Ky still can't believe Sol kept him in the dark about going to the Jellyfish Air Pirates for help until they were right on their doorstep). The mere fact that the fiery brunet is redirecting the conversation is a sign that Sol isn't taking Ky's desire to track down 'That Man' seriously.

The blond swordsman's temper is starting to rise. If Sol won't take his words and actions seriously, then he will make him do so. A tingling sensation runs down his spine and into his hands as Ky channels his power into Thunderseal. The sacred relic focuses and enhances his lightning abilities, and he turns this ability inwards, augmenting his already impressive speed and strength. Ky's entire body seems to spark with an electric energy as he completes this process. The former knight is still holding back half his power, but even at this level his abilities are superhuman.

Quick as a flash, Ky dashes forwards and slices at Sol's belly. His sword moves in a blur and the taller fighter only has enough time for his eyes to widen a fraction of a centimeter before he is forced to react. Recognizing Ky's increased battle capability, Sol puts more strength into his own block as well, and the air seems to ripple as the two OutRages meet. Ky is pushed back a bit by the collision, but not far enough to use his longer sword comfortably. As such, he shoots forward with an elbow strike. Sol counters this by bending forward with a low punch of his own. The two fighters' fists collide, and their blows are deflected off-target. From his low position, the captain places both hands on the pommel of his weapon and slashes upwards. Sol crosses Fireseal below him to block the attack, but the slash has enough force to launch the bounty hunter off his feet and into the air.

Ky jumps up after Sol, sword crackling with electricity and ready to strike. The red clad rogue moves faster, however, as heat and fire erupts out of his weapon in the form of a fireball. Thunderseal easily cuts through and dispels the projectile. Ky rotates his body 180 degrees and swings Thunderseal behind him. The OutRage unleashes a burst of energy and propels the blond flying towards Sol. The IPF officer continues to turn and snaps out a leg as he comes out of the spin. Blocking the kick with one arm, the brown haired recluse uses a burst of magic of his own and seems to plant his feet on the air before surging forward. Red hot flames engulf Sol as he trucks Ky over his shoulder, and the edges of the shorter fighter's uniform gets singed as he flips head over heels. Luckily, Ky has enough wits to tuck into a flip and land on his feet. He pats the fires on his clothes out first before turning his attention to Sol. Lightning sparkles from his sword and the electricity is almost begging to be unleashed.

Sol lands easily and gently in a crouch with his back turned to Ky. The former knight tenses as he waits for the rogue to make a move. Then, all of a sudden, the tension is dispelled as Sol stands up straight and appears to relax.

"Alright, that's enough," says Sol. The statement is not a suggestion, or even an imperative. It's a declaration, and it makes Ky's blood boil. Even if his words won't reach Sol, for his actions to be brushed off so easily...!

"Why are you hiding it?" asks Ky as his frustration finally boils to the point of vocalization. "I know you are going after the man who created the Gears." At this, the brunet visibly stiffens. "If his work was the root cause of the War, then it is also my duty to chase him."

"You'd better stop." Sol's voice is still calm and even, but it carries a hint of warning.

"Why? I am fully prepared to fight, and even die, for the sake of justice."

This finally gets a reaction out of Sol. He half-turns around with a derisive smirk on his face. "Justice?" he says with scorn. "What if your pursuit of this 'justice' brings an end to the current peace? Would you be able to live with that?"

To this, Ky finds himself unable to respond. The only thing he can say is: "What do you mean?"

"'That Man' didn't just lie down and go to sleep after creating the Gears. He's been moving and working. But he hasn't spent the last 100 years making biological weapons; he's been making connections. While on the hunt for 'That Man', I learned he is in good standings with the top echelons of the Magic Guild, and he also knows the members of the Conclave of Illyria quite well."

The United Kingdom of Illyria. Formed in shortly after the end of the Crusades, it was originally a coalition between the smaller Slavic nations to pool together the little resources they had left after the war. The coalition was a success, and within years it had achieved economic stability, low crime rate and prosperity. Pretty soon its neighboring countries wanted to join the coalition. Now, six years after its formation, Illyria is a massive country that covers over half of Europe, and it's only growing. Germany joined the union just last week, and Belgium's parliament is currently considering merging as well.

"You understand that if 'That Man' seeks refuge within Illyria, you will be fighting against its Senate? The country may be divided into three provinces, which are each ruled by a king, but the nation's Senate, or Conclave, plays an important role in governing the country as well. If the Conclave insists on defending 'That Man,' they will become another obstacle that must be destroyed. And if you do carry out your justice to the end, they will be destroyed, or at least so severely weakened that they will barely be functional. And without them, there will be a power vacuum, which will cause in-fighting and power struggles and war. The era of peace that Europe has finally settled into will end. You will throw an entire continent into chaos for the sins of one man. Can you go through with that? Is your resolution robust enough? Is your dedication to justice strong enough? I've made up my mind to pursue this bastard to the depths of hell. What about you? Can you disrupt the earth and hurt defenseless citizens in the name of justice?"

Each of Sol's words hit Ky harder than his fists ever can. Ky lives by a simple mantra. It's one he learned long ago from his mentor, Kliff. It's the mission of the Sacred Order, one he reaffirmed when he was inducted into the Order as well as when he was appointed its leader. This single motto has allowed Ky to face Gears in battle without fear, root out corruption without weariness and fight crime without tire. Since the death of his parents, Ky has only lived by this rule: 'to fight for justice and the good of the people.' He always thought those two goals were mutually inclusive, but now that he's faced with the possibility of having to sacrifice one for the other, Ky does not know what to think or say or do.

Ky opens his mouth to retort, but nothing intelligible comes out. "I...but..."

"I knew it," scoffs Sol. The fire wielding bounty hunter turns away from the blond once again. "See, this is why spoiled brats like you should stay out of this." With that, the reclusive rogue walks away.

"Wait! Sol!" Ky reaches out with his left arm, as if willing the taller man to halt. Unfortunately for him, Sol doesn't stop. And once he reaches the treeline, the elusive bounty hunter vanishes into the shadows. The ex-Crusader is left to himself and his thoughts.

Sol may be right about having to disrupt the earth and hurt defenseless citizens to pursue 'That Man,' but, now that Ky thinks about it, such a thing will also be necessary to investigate the Post-War Administration Bureau as well. If they really hold key positions in the organizations and companies and establishments they were responsible for creating, then how many power structures that people rely on must Ky destroy to root out the Bureau? There's the immediate problem with the IPF, but what about the other establishments? What about the Magic Guild, which provides power for every city on earth? And how many industries that is under the Bureau's thumb will be hurt or demolished? What about agriculture and irrigation? Fact of the matter is, if the Post-War Administration Bureau planned out the power structures that will help the post-war world run smoothly, then they will have infiltrated the government at every level. To crush the Bureau and their plot is to destroy the world and create it anew, and the price of life for such a thing is one that Ky cannot accept. But neither can the captain simply let such evil do as it pleases right in front of his face. Stuck in such a contradiction, Ky finds himself at a loss as to what to do next.

One thing he does know, however, is that he must protect human life. And right now, that means getting the injured Japanese man some medical attention before he bleeds out. But when Ky turns to where Anji was, he finds that the man is not there. A puddle of coagulating blood remains where his body was, but the person is gone. There are no footprints, no trail of blood leading away that would suggest him moving or being moved away. It is as if Anji simply disappeared. Ky focuses and tries to detect the signature of his OutRage, but he finds nothing; even Sol is far enough away by now to avoid detection.

At a loss as to what to do, Ky sits down and lets the weariness of the entire last month crash down onto him. The captain has not been eating or resting well in the last month due to how much work he had to put in to make up for his duties. As well, fighting in an elevated state, even if it's not full power, is taxing. Ky takes a moment to rest and collect his thoughts.

This task is easier said than done, however. Never before has Ky felt so lost. If justice is not an absolute cause he can fight for, than what is? Even worse, how can he justify all the lives he's taken for the sake of bringing justice from God? Confusion and fatigue and guilt presses down on the blue eyed captain, and Ky desperately racks his mind of something, anything, to take his mind away from this depressing line of thought.

 _Sleep. I need some sleep. I'm just tired. In the morning, when I'm refreshed, I will think of a resolution._

As he begins the trek back to his car, Ky desperately wishes that last sentence to be true.

* * *

 **I'm not quite so satisfied with this chapter, and here's why: When I started writing this story, I needed to think (and plan out in writing) things through, but I didn't, and now I'm playing catch-up. A lot of reasoning I had the characters use seem slipshod, and that's because the world where such reasoning would be sensible has not been constructed and clearly shown to the reader. There's a lot of finer details and small things that should've been established early on that I haven't, and I'm really suffering the consequences now. Maybe it was my lackadaisical attitude in the beginning, or maybe I didn't give myself enough time to think things through, but I've put myself at a real disadvantage. I'm seriously considering just going back and revising the first few chapters before continuing on.**

 **Onto another topic. It should be pretty clear now that I've based events on the 3rd storyline for Ky (which is, like the Ky x Millia pairing, unfortunately non-canon). The third ending is a really cool character moment (the first ending is pretty good too), and I wanted to explore it the moment I played through it. In general, the third ending for most characters is the coolest/most interesting. Sol's an exception for sure, his first ending is way more badass and climatic than just putting down Dizzy.  
Speaking of Sol, I had the last bit of the fight in this chapter be based on the intro of the Sol/Ky fight in Ky's third ending in #Reload. I didn't include the DP clash because, while it looks cool af, it would never happen in an actual fight.**

 **Also, does anyone think the pommel of Fireseal is rather phallic shaped? I almost described it as such, but I decided against it. Gotta stay serious.**

 **Despite my misgivings, this chapter was very fun to write. Writing this story makes me love Guilty Gear more and makes me want to play the game more, and playing the game more inspires me to write more. It's a wonderful positive feedback loop that will consume me until the story's completion. I hope you'll stick around and bear with me till then!**


	10. Chapter 9

**There's an old Chinese saying: a dog cannot change its ways of eating dung. And now, I find it applying to me.**

 **It's been four months since I last updated, and I have absolutely no excuse. Sure, I've been busy, who isn't? But I had plenty of spare time to write, if I wanted to, and I haven't been doing that. So I owe all of you readers an apology.**

 **People who know my update schedule in the past (they probably don't exist in the first place, cuz who follows a novice writer from Mortal Kombat to Guilty Gear?) know that long delays like this is pretty par for the course, but I really wanted to adhere for a stricter schedule for this story, and I've absolutely failed that.**

 **In the future, I will definitely stick to a one chapter per month deal.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

Millia is used to silence. In fact, she prefers it. But this...

…This is just awkward.

The former assassin can feel Jam's uncomfortable gaze on her back. The cook seems to have something she wants to say, but doesn't know how to bring it up. The hazel-eyed bounty hunter's unease is starting to get on the blonde's nerves.

"What?" Millia asks when she finally meets the Chinese woman's eyes. Jam looks away hurriedly.

"Ah...You seemed to know that guy back there pretty well," answers the chef after a long pause.

"Unfortunately," is Millia's brusque response.

"But you don't get along."

"Not at all. What's your point?"

"He tried to kill you! Doesn't that bother you at all?"

"I was an assassin. Why should it? Besides, ever since I left the Guild, I accepted the fact that death would pursue me to the ends of the earth."

Jam is quiet for a few heartbeats, and then protests weakly: "But he's your friend! Why—"

"Friend?" Millia snarls, struggling to not slam her fist into a wall in anger. "Are you out of your mind?"

The brunette flinches from the venom in her voice. "Well...it's just what he said. It sounded like he admired you."

The blonde is actually a bit taken aback by those words. Is that what Venom sounded like to an outsider? "He never admired me. He envied me and resented me because of my position. He wanted to be the one closest to Zato instead of me. Even now, he obsesses over the dead man, and that fanaticism drives him. But there's hope for him; the object of his infatuation is dead and gone, and if he can realize that, he can choose his own path before his obsession consumes him the way it consumed the one before him."

Jam, realizing that the words coming out of Millia's mouth are far beyond her understanding, wisely chooses to keep her lips sealed. By this point the two of them have reached the main road. There's no police, no encirclement, no barrier. A light (by Chinese standards) crowd once again fills the streets. Millia has heard that the East Asian law enforcement was lax, but this exceeds her expectations.

"This way," says Jam as she heads towards the outside of the city.

The trek to their destination is also spent in relative silence. Millia expected Jam to at least attempt to make conversation, but it appears the events that transpired earlier this evening has subdued the normally perky cook.

Jam's restaurant (or at least, what remains of it) is right under the walls of the city. The tall, concrete, multi-tiered barrier towers over the low structures filling the city proper. The wall's several levels are crowded with small, dingy wooden huts built like ivy on a tree. Below the wall is a canal which flows besides the wall. Jam's lot is situated right by the water's edge.

There are a couple of buildings in the vicinity, mostly small houses, with the only exception being what appears to be a large hotel a few blocks down. The reason for this desertedness in such a space-starved city is the giant body of an earth-green dragon-like Gear that lies at the back of Jam's property. The superstitious attitude of the residents must drive people away. Why no one has bothered moving the Gear is a question that doesn't bother Millia. Speaking of Jam's property, the chef has managed to rebuild a little wooden booth with a couple of signs with big Chinese characters hung up. Several tables and stools are scattered around the mostly barren lot as well.

Reclining at one of the tables with her feet resting on the furniture is a woman dressed in red. A russet vest barely covers the important areas of her (very prominent) chest while a tight corset binds her torso and groin. She wears tall red boots that go up to her thighs. Her black hair is cut short and an aquamarine eye peeks out from under the wide brim of a crimson witch's hat with a skull design on it. A cyan electric guitar is propped against the table her feet rest on.

"Oh, you're back!" exclaims the woman in mock surprise. Her voice drips with lasciviousness and seduction, and the sound of it sets Millia's nape hairs on edge. "How's the bounty hunting coming along?"

"You!" shouts Jam, anger and accusation coloring her tone (although the pitch of the chef's voice makes it hard for Millia to take her seriously). "You thought you could pull one over on me, didn't you?"

"You finally figured it out, huh?" the red guitarist snorts. "Stupid cook! You stupid bugs should just crush each other! Now all I have to do is gather them up and—" The mysterious musician freezes as she catches sight of Millia. "Oh, but I see you've done even my job of gathering them up for me."

"Enough talking! You're going to pay for trying to fool me!"

Jam advances with fighting intent pouring out of her. Millia decides to hang back and let the Chinese woman fight one-on-one. Even if this crimson-clad woman is the reason why Jam dragged the blonde all the way to China, it turned out to be a good thing.

"Hold up playaz~" purrs the red musician with one hand raised up. "I see you went through all the trouble of bringing a partner, so how about this? Tonight, our main event is going to be a tag team match! Oh, dearest pet, I've found a nice body for you~"

 **"It's about time you held up your end of the agreement you slave driving woman,"** This voice! It's...

The shadow of the woman cast long and far by the rays of the setting sun seems to darken before a figure emerges from the darkness. Long, straw blond hair rises from the ground first, followed by a red bandanna wrapped over the eyes. A black belt is tied over the scarlet fabric, probably for style rather than necessity. Fitting tightly around his neck is a dark leather choker. A skintight, sleeveless black bodysuit covers his torso. He wears ebony fingerless gloves that goes up to his biceps. His pants are the same color as the rest of his clothing and also extremely formfitting, showing off his muscular build to the world. His boots are black as well. On his entire body, only two places with color stand out: the red lacings of his boots and the gold buckle on his sable leather belt.

Eternity would not be long enough for Millia to forget this man. He is the reason why the former assassin hasn't been able to sleep well in a month, the reason why she hasn't been able to escape this world of death and fighting yet. Zato-1, the former leader of the Assassin's Guild. Or rather, Zato-1's body. Now, the Forbidden Beast he traded his eyesight for has also claimed his body and goes by the name of Eddie. Millia thought she would be better prepared for this moment after Ky had revealed Eddie still lives, but her reaction now is the same as that time. Her throat constricts and her mind is blank. She's close to hyperventilating. Hatred and killer instinct wells up from her stomach.

The Beast, as if perceiving the Russian's thoughts, swivels his head so his ruined gaze rests on her. **"Ho? If this was any other time, I'd appreciate you bringing me a toy, but she is just a regular human. I cannot use her."** Eddie's voice is different from Zato's, though they share the same pharynx. His voice seems to reverberate on nothing but empty air and echoes into her body, drawing out all sorts of dark emotions. Millia can feel her hackles rise just by listening to the Beast speak.

"Oh, but she's not a regular human," replies the woman tartly. "She's accepted a Beast as well. Her body is probably just primed and waiting for you."

 **"Hm...an interesting point. Very well, I shall accept this offering."** Clouds of darkness start to swirl around his feet as the possessed corpse saunters forwards.

Perhaps merely knowing in her mind and seeing with her eyes is different, but Millia is over her initial shock now. Ice cold focus grips her and sharpens her senses.

"He's mine. Don't interfere." Whispers Millia harshly as she strides past Jam. The Chinese cook responds in protest, but the ex-assassin tunes her out.

 **"A fair day to you, my beautiful princess,"** mocks Eddie with an exaggerated bow as the Russian approaches him. A derisive smirk is plastered on his face, and in that moment, his resemblance to Zato is so striking that Millia is thrown back to a time seven years ago.

 _"Guwah! Gwaaaaaagh!"_

 _The shadows that formed a sword around Zato's body evaporate into smoke, and he surveys his victims. The super soldiers, though severed in two, still writhe and crawl towards them with their arms. The leader of the assassins morphs a leg into a black spike and stomps on one of the soldiers' head, impaling him and ending his life instantly._

 _"Heh, they are willing to endure great pain, but their body is human flesh and cannot exceed its limits!"_

That time was the first time Millia noticed it, but Zato always smiled like that whenever he was inflicting pain, whether physical or emotional. And now, the same smile is on the face before her, and the same fear and mistrust the blonde felt the first time she saw that smile she feels once again.

"Quit smiling at me like that," growls Millia as her golden hair forms a side ponytail and starts swaying besides her.

 **"Don't be so cold, my fair angel. You should be smiling too. For today, you get to become part of something greater than yourself. All you have to do is GIVE ME YOUR BODY!"**

With that, the manifestation of shadow leaps at Millia like a feral creature. Darkness encases the corpse's body, forming a chitinous armor around him.

Although Millia's mind is still unfocused, her body is not. Her legs move out of survival instinct and years of training, launching Millia out of harm's way. Eddie slams down on where the Russian was, his claws scoring deep rents in the earth. In a flash, the dead assassin swipes out with his talons. By now, however, the reality of the fight has set in and Millia's assassin training kicks in, allowing her to bury her emotions to concentrate on surviving. She parries Eddie's strike with a shield of golden locks, barely avoiding getting her eyes gouged out.

The possessed carcass dashes forward while lashing out in wild strokes with his claws. It is all Millia can do to fend off his ferocious assault. Each blow forces the blonde back a step. This wouldn't be a problem if Eddie isn't also circling slightly to the side with every swipe. He's trying to force her into a corner, where she can't back off anymore, and that would spell certain doom for her. Millia needs to think of a way out, and fast.

After repelling the next attack, the ex-assassin flips backwards over a table and kicks the piece of furniture at Eddie. He effortlessly smashes it to splinters with a backhand stroke. Next, Millia picks up a stool with her hair and flings it at him. This time, the dead killer melts into the shadow of the building he's standing in. The wooden seat flies harmlessly over him and explodes into shrapnel once it crashes into a wall.

But where did Eddie go? Millia is not unfamiliar with these kinds of situations. Once he merges with the shadows, the Beast can strike from any shadow he wants. And in the dim light of the setting sun, the umbra of the landscape is long indeed.

 _Boom!_

A thunderous explosion rings out, shaking the ground and unbalancing Millia. It seems Jam and the mystery woman has begun fighting in earnest. The blue eyed ex-assassin swiftly steadies herself. Eddie will probably try to attack her in this momentary lapse in defence.

 **"GRAAAARGH!"**

As she expected, the dark creature bursts out from the ground underneath her. Even though Millia predicted this, she still only narrowly avoids Eddie's jaws by jumping into the air. The dead man yanks the rest of his body out of the shadows and takes to the air after her. Wings of darkness spread from his shoulder blades and he zips into the skies.

This is bad. Eddie's superior aerial mobility makes fighting him in the air absolutely unfeasible. And with his speed, the Beast is going to be able to make at least one pass on her. If that's the case, then Millia would rather face him head-on than with her back turned.

Millia inhales deeply and bends her arms and legs back, preparing herself mentally. Not only does she have to unleash a burst of magic to accelerate her fall, but the maneuver she plans to perform against Eddie is complex. Concentration is crucial to controlling her hair. However, with her heart racing and adrenaline pumping, it is not easy to stay calm and collected in battle. Even so, the blonde ex-assassin did not survive for this long by losing her focus in critical moments. A cold haze envelopes her mind. She can see what's going to happen.

 _She unleashes the magic gathered in her arms. The black creature lunges towards her with claws outstretched. Her hair shoots out like a spear to meet him. Right before contact, a couple of strands will extend out and lash themselves around the Beast's arm. Those strands will pull Eddie's arm aside and cause his blow to miss. The main polearm of hair will impale him from his forearm down to the shoulder._

Perhaps the Millia of a month ago could've formed a third strand to wring the carcass's neck, but it would be folly to try that now. She is not as robust as she was a month ago, both physically and mentally. To push herself to try something beyond what she's sure she's capable of is a desperate measure that should be saved as a last resort.

 **"YOU'RE MINE NOW!"** roars Eddie as he flies towards her. The shadow armor around his fingers has elongated into wicked talons that seek to tear and rend.

No more time to prepare; now is the time to act! Millia lets the energy prepared in her limbs explode out and propel her towards her foe. Crystal blue orbs are forced into a squint as the wind pushes against her in protest of her speed. The outstretched claws of the black creature's left arm draw ever closer to her face. Golden hair shoots out like a lance to retaliate. A few locks separate from the main branch and extend out, wrapping themselves around the Beast's arm. These locks pull Eddie's arm to the right while the main spear of hair continues on its course to shear the Forbidden Beast's arm off.

But things don't unfold the way Millia planned.

She doesn't know what drove Eddie to say what he says next. Perhaps he wasn't finished yelling yet and wanted to complete his last line. Perhaps he realized what Millia is doing and screams out of hate. But regardless, Eddie opens his jaws and shrieks:

 **"MILLIA!"**

And all of a sudden, she is back in her dreams, watching Zato recede into the darkness. His voice, tinged with anger, hatred, betrayal and **loss** rings in her ears even as he disappears into oblivion. She's never regretted her decision to leave the Guild, so why? Why does his voice make her weak inside?

Pain brings Millia back to reality. The hairs lashed around Eddie's arm did not yank hard enough to the side and one of the black talons score a deep gash on her cheek. Millia curses herself for being distracted so easily. The Russian ex-assassin makes the necessary adjustments to strike back, but at this point it is impossible to take the Beast's arm.

The moment of contact is brief, less than a second, and then they are past each other. Millia lands in a crouch and retracts her hair. The ex-assassin is sure she felt her hair rip into something. This is confirmed by the pained screech Eddie makes before landing unsteadily. The incarnate shadow balances himself with his healthy arm. Sure, his black armor is broken and blood gushes from a slash running down his left arm, but that is not good enough; that appendage should not even be there.

 **"Ahahahahahahaha! What's wrong?"** taunts the possessed killer. He's breathing hard from pain and exertion, but his tone is colored with amusement and mockery. **"The Millia that killed this body the first time would've left me with only one arm. Why do you hesitate? Surely it can't be that you can't bring yourself to kill the man you love oh-so-dearly. You've already killed him once."**

Millia grits her teeth. That is a thing of the past. Once she had seen Zato for what he is—a sadistic killer with an obsession with sin and perfection—she buried such useless feelings and threw them away. For Eddie to accuse her like this...!

"Oh dearest pet, I'm all done over here!" calls the scarlet guitarist. "I've detected something very interesting a few leagues to the west, so I'll be heading over there now. Do join me when you're done." With a flash of green light, the red guitarist is gone. Where's Jam? Nowhere in sight. There's no time to worry about her; Millia has her own fight to focus on.

 **"Hmph. Do you expect me to continue to slave for you once I take my new body?"**

Millia forces herself to take a deep breath. Getting mad is what Eddie wants. She won't give him the satisfaction of playing with her emotions.

 **"But back to the subject at hand. Heheheh. You poor stray cat. Even though you've wandered away, you can't forget about your owner. Indeed—"** Eddie's red eyes narrow in exquisite delight as Millia's expression darkens. **"—you left the Guild to escape the life of death and killing that Zato adopted you into. And yet, here you are, years later, and nothing's changed. Or maybe, one thing's changed. You're still killing, you're still surrounded by death, but now you're alone. You have nothing to show for your desertion of the Guild and, in your heart of hearts, you still desire his warmth, don't you?"**

She should laugh. The proper response would be to laugh and tell Eddie that he's way off the mark. She should scoff and dismiss these outlandish, inaccurate and downright slanderous claims. But Millia's reaction is just the opposite. It isn't scornful laughter that fills her, it's something else: rage. Black, murderous rage spills from the pit of her stomach. Anger forms a knot in her chest and floods her limbs with uncontrollable energy.

 _How dare you. How dare you presume to know how I feel, to know what I've been through? The reason I have nothing is not because of a lack of trying, but because the shadow of death pursues me! It's not my fault!_

But even as Millia attempts to convince herself, her words ring hollow in her mind.

 _Kill._

The blonde will not allow a dead person—no, the shadow of a dead person, to slander her like this. She will shut his mouth, permanently.

 **"Ho, I sense a pleasant desire to kill. But that's no good; an assassin should conceal her killing intent until the moment she strikes. You're slipping woman, concentrate! Recite the Assassin's Creed!"**

Memories and words surge to the forefront of Millia's mind, unbidden.

* * *

 _"Remember, then, Millia, that magic is the ability to create energy, and the power of a magic user is to direct and manipulate the energy."_

 _A dark room. Her room. Millia hasn't slept well since the operation. The doctors said the operation would give her extraordinary powers. But so far, the only difference is the voice in her head telling her, imploring her,_ demanding _her to kill, maim and destroy everything._

 _"Normally, mages do this with their minds. For us, who were not born with this natural talent, there are alternative options. This Forbidden Magic is one of those alternatives. We offer up one body part, and, in exchange, we gain the ability to use magic to give life to something else."_

 _Zato also underwent the operation and, after a few days to recover, is now visiting Millia to see how she's adjusting. His honey yellow eyes are now covered by a veil of red cloth. Under normal circumstances, Milla would detest his presence and pointedly ignore him. After all, the older man is the one who inducted her into the world of assassins and robbed her of a clean mind and easy conscience. But right now, the Russian is just glad to see another human and hear a voice that isn't... **that**._

 _"Behold, my Magic: a beast that grants me control over the shadows."_

 _Zato clenches his right hand into a fist, and the darkness around him seems to deepen. Then, like raindrops on a pane of glass, droplets of a dark, oily liquid slide down the Spaniard's arm and coalesce around his hand. The black blob slowly grows in size and begins to take a form. It is grotesque and misshapen, but a head region can be discerned, and tiny stub-like arms protrude from its main mass._

 _Then, two blank white eyes appear._

 _Millia scrambles back in revulsion. Although the eyes are blank and unintelligent, the blonde is filled with an instinctive fear, the likes of which prey would have for a predator._

 _Zato releases a big breath, and the creature of darkness vanishes. The aspiring leader of the assassin is still shaking from exertion and a thin layer of sweat covers his skin._

 _"I've affectionately called him 'Eddie'," chuckles Zato as he evens out his breathing. "As you can see, I too am only learning how to control this Beast. Millia, you also possess a similar power now. You've been gifted with the sixth Forbidden Magic: Angra. With it, you can have full control over your hair, to extend or retract it at will, to strengthen it as hard as iron or make it as soft as a silken sheet._

 _"But first, you must learn to control it, and that requires concentration, focus and strength of mind. You hear it too, don't you? The voices?"_

 _Millia nods._

 _"They are a side effect of the Forbidden Magic. Learn to tune out the voices and impose your will over them, however, and the Magic's power is yours to wield as you wish. So let us begin your mental training."_

 _Zato seats himself on her bed and wraps a muscled arm around her. Even as the hairs of her nape rises, Millia finds herself unconsciously burrowing into Zato's warmth._

 _"Do you recall the Assassin's Creed?"_

* * *

That day, Millia could not recall the Assassin's Creed. Indeed, with the constant whispering in her mind, she could not remember anything. Zato had gone over the Creed with her over and over again until each word was branded into her brain.

From that day on, Millia would learn to recite the Creed in any and all situations. In pain and suffering. In exhaustion and fatigue. In heat and in cold. In sickness and in hunger. Even in her sleep, the blonde could conjure up the words. And, as the training progressed, the voice in her head slowly but surely faded. Her focus became razor sharp and strong as iron, and her ability to control the Forbidden Magic grew to reflect that. Her hair had the strength to cut blocks of metal, the durability to stop bullets and the lightness to form wings and propel her through the sky.

In time, Millia would no longer need to concentrate on the Assassin's Creed to maintain control over her Forbidden Magic. Even so, every time the blonde invoked the Magic to strike down a target, she would mentally chant the Creed. And every time, without fail, she would be whisked back to that dark room, resting against Zato's muscular side and feeling safe for the first time in her life.

Until the day she learned the truth.

Once Millia learned the truth about the Forbidden Magics—the Forbidden Beasts—and how Zato would've sacrificed the minds and bodies of herself and four others (in fact, that's exactly what happened to the other four: eaten up by the Beasts they were implanted with) all to realize his 'Perfect Assassin,' she left the Guild.

Since then, the Creed has not crossed her mind even once. It was a conscious decision on Millia's part to never again rely on such a prop from Zato and her assassin days. She would walk her own path and find her own destiny.

But despite her resolution, it appears the Creed has been seared deep into her mind. And at Eddie's command, the Russian woman nearly blurted it out.

 _That's it._

Fury completely consumes her. No sentient thought remains in her, only raw rage.

 _Kill. Maim. Destroy. HIM!_

A red mist descends on Millia's vision, blocking out everything except her target. Towards this target the blonde charges recklessly.

A sudden chill shooting up her spine is the only warning Millia gets before a drill of pure darkness erupts from the ground beneath her. Fortunately, having fought Zato before means Millia easily vaults over the rotating bit on reaction.

The distance between them is closing.

Another drill pops through the dirt, but Millia easily skips to the side and keeps on charging.

Eddie is now within the effective range of her hair, but Millia wants to get in closer.

With a snarl, the shadow cast by Zato's body comes to life and thrusts out a shadowy limb at the advancing Russian. The clawed arm elongates and forces the ex-assassin to use her ponytail to swat aside the attack. Now that Millia is within arm's reach, Eddie enshrouds his right arm with umbral substance, effectively turning his fist into a mace. He punches at her while her hair is still recovering from deflecting the earlier attack from the ground. Millia avoids the blow by bending over backwards and letting the punch skim over her chest. From her bent position, the resourceful blonde snaps out a leg and kicks Eddie in the chin.

This is Zato's fighting style: use his power over the shadows to control his opponents and force them into bad positions before attacking with sudden aggression in conjunction with Eddie. Fortunately for Millia, she's learned to fight against his style by using strong footwork and speedy movement to avoid his setups and sneak in attacks while his guard is down. For Eddie to resort to this kind of defensive fighting is the worst kind of folly imaginable.

Millia snaps upright and attacks with quick, wild slashes while her feet dance endlessly, carrying her over, under and around any of Eddie's counterattacks. Her lungs are heaving. Her muscles are burning. Her hair is slicing, over and over again. Blood. Eddie's? Or her own? Doesn't matter. More. Blood. She feels it through her hair; her blows are connecting. Good. Kill!

 _Shik._

 **"OOORAUUUGH!"**

Eddie lies impaled on a spear of golden hair. His black armor is covered in cuts and lacerations. Millia flicks her neck to the side and throws the corpse off. Her legs are still shaking and her breathing is wild. She's still oddly unsettled and needs to slow down her racing heart.

 **"Hehehe...HAHAHAHAHAHA!"**

The Beast still lives? Indeed, Eddie hauls himself into a standing—albeit slouched—position. His wounds seem to twist in upon themselves and close.

 **"You really are holding back,"** pants Eddie. He sounds practically delirious with pain and exhaustion. **"You don't lack the power to kill me. However, even when you give yourself up to anger, your strikes stop short. Why?"** Black brows furrow in contemplation and red eyes narrow into slits.

Millia clenches her fists hard enough for her nails to leave crescents on her palms even through her gloves. "Shut your mouth and die." The former assassin struts forward, intent on finishing the job.

Eddie, in an impressive display of stamina, leaps backwards and seems to merge with the shadow of the dragon Gear. Only his red eyes are visible from the darkness.

 **"Perhaps, subconsciously, you still harbor attachment to this dead man."** The parasite's voice is quiet, subdued. He is seriously thinking about what he's saying, and that's enough to give Millia slight pause.

 _No! Don't let him poison your mind! Kill him!_

 **"Interesting. Just what is Zato to you? I know what that man did to you. You can't do those kinds of things and not have that mean something to you."**

A stab of something cold runs through her gut. "What things?" demands Millia.

 **"Don't pretend. I share the same memories as that man. You and I both know exactly what I'm talking about."**

The chill continues to spread through the Russian's body. Is she afraid? Afraid of what he's saying? Of what he might say? No. Millia starts moving again. She's going to end him before he can say anymore. However, the possessed killer is hiding now. His red eyes are no longer visible.

 **"And yet, neither of you talked about it. It's as if both of you tried to ignore the fact. And before long, it was too late. You locked him up and ran; ran from him, the Guild, and yourself."**

Eddie's voice is moving. Delaying won't do him any good. Millia snaps her hair and flings a pin of blonde hair towards the location of his voice.

 **"GRRRRN! B-but, you couldn't run from the past forever. Zato came back, and you found yourself drawn back, again and again. Still, you couldn't face the truth, so you killed him. You thought you were fighting Zato for your freedom, but you were really fighting for a much more cowardly reason. And now that the deed is done, you realize that killing him hasn't solved your problem. Your very being knows this truth now: you're still in the dark. Zato's shadow continues to looms over you. What is he to you? A father? A leader? What does he mean to you? Someone to love? Someone to hate?"**

Strange. Boiling hot wrath should be filling her at these words, so why is she so cold? Shivers run up and down her spine.

 **"Ah, but it's too late now. He's dead. And soon, YOU WILL BE TOO!"**

Jagged teeth chomp down on Millia's left shoulder. The pain elicits a cry from the Russian, but a dark hand clamped around her mouth prevents the sound from coming out. Eddie's true self, not Zato's body, wraps his amorphous shadowy form around the blonde's body. She can't move. She can barely breathe. All of Eddie's talk must have been to distract her so he could possess her shadow. And now, the Beast has the upper hand! Shit!

 **"You've resisted me long enough. Now give yourself up to me."**

Liquidy shadow starts seeping up Millia's nose. Now she can't breathe. She can't think, her hair won't respond. She struggles against her bonds in vain. Eddie is restraining her with all the desperate strength of a dying man. Mind going blank. Kinda calm. Just drift away? Not so bad. Sleep...

YOU WILL NOT HAVE HER.

 **"AAAAAAAH!"** Eddie uncoils from her, and Millia collapses to her knees, clutching her wounded shoulder. Her body is instinctively gasping deep lungfuls of air, but her brain is numb. What...?

 **"Angra! You've already grown strong enough to resist me, dear sister! But the girl is nearly dead, and I will not be denied now!"**

Eddie survived because of her lack of focus, Millia is sure of it now. She won't make the same mistake twice.

 _Black it out. Hesitation. Doubt. Fear. I'll take my urge to kill and black everything else out._

Millia hobbles to her feet. The sun is nearly entirely below the city skyline now, and shadows cover the entire street. This gives Eddie many hiding spots, but that's fine. She'll just destroy everything. He has to die!

Millia takes a deep breath before crossing her arms. She isn't quite sure what she's doing, but something tells her this will work. The Russian raises them over and behind her head. Then she tilts her neck back and lets her hair's true length down. A golden carpet dangles from her head; each individual strand seems to squirm and sway in a separate direction. Millia slowly lowers her hands out to the sides, and as she does this, the writhing mass that is her hair begins to take form into seven prongs. The ex-assassin jerks her upper body forwards and thrusts her hair into the ground. The prongs enlarge and drill out of the ground. They expand in a circle around Millia, tearing up the dirt lot and anything living on the ground.

 **"What?"**

The mental demand is enormous. This is the first time controlling her hair has caused pain for Millia. But she can hear Eddie scrambling for his life, and that makes it all worth it.

"RAAAAARGH!"

Someone's screaming. It both does and does not sound like her. But it can't be her; the pain isn't that bad. What is this feeling? Ecstasy. Freedom. God, the pain is intensifying. It feels like her head is splitting apart.

Suddenly, Millia feels very tired. Drained. Eddie seems to be saying something, but his voice is so far away. She can barely hear him. The blonde can't sense his presence anymore anyways. He must have escaped. Doesn't matter now. Her body...Millia can feel it, just barely. It's moving, but she's not moving it. Not important. Right now, she just wants to rest.

Yes child, rest. You've fought long and hard in this cruel world, and it's done nothing but betray you. Rest now, while I destroy this world. Perhaps in your dreams, you will find peace.

A voice, a presence in her mind, talking to her. Should she be worried? No. Tired now. Slumber.

* * *

 **I honestly feel the drawbacks of not laying down a good foundation early in the story. Especially concerning magic, what it is and how it works. I've offered a little bandage explanation in this chapter, but such a fundamental concept in the Guilty Gear universe should be discussed much earlier. A couple of character motivations, conflicts, problems and resolutions have also been bothering me and I spent a lot of time penning out how the assassins relate to each other.  
**

 **Despite writer's block, heavy distraction (I was on a sci-fi marathon for like a month) and a lot of heavy slogging, I enjoyed writing this chapter. A WWE reference, referral to the Night Knives drama CD, and an insta-kill was all very fun to put to words.  
**

 **Next chapter: our lovers reunite. This one's gonna be a tough one for me to slog through too.**


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The drive back passes in a blur of midnight green, asphalt grey and LED white. All too soon he's back in the city limits, and Ky finds himself wishing he can stay inside the vortex of colors and let his troubles drift away with the hum of the engine.

Unfortunately, reality cares little for what Ky wants, and the Frenchman has to focus on driving. Even at night, there are a lot of people on the streets, although there are a lot less people than the daytime volume. Old sodium streetlights cast meager pools of orange while the cityscape floats by in hues of dark royal blue.

Then, a strange sound breaks the monotony of the drive. This rumbling and howling is a familiar noise, one Ky has heard many-a-times. It's the sound of armies rushing into battle. Ky has heard this sound in many battlefields, but never in a city. What's going on? The blond stops the car.

And then, bursting out of a side street, the source of the noise appears. A wave of people pours out of the alley, their faces contorted in terror. The crowd sweeps along those not a part of the wave and tramples any who will not go with the flow. The stampede pays no attention to the police cruiser and scrambles right over it. The pounding of footsteps on the windshield and ceiling is deafening, and there is a slight ringing in Ky's ears when he opens the door. The officer reaches into the passenger side and pulls out the Thunderseal.

As the straw blond proceeds down the backstreet cautiously, the wailing of the stampede quickly recedes and, in its stead, a dead stillness creeps in. Ky advances though the narrow road with his hairs on edge.

There, up ahead! It's the alleyway's exit!

Ky speeds up into a brisk jog. The small corridor connects to another big street, which is eerily deserted. By the scarce illumination of the moon and the streetlights, he can make out two figures lying by the side of the street: it's a little girl, about three years old, and her mother. The child seems to have fallen during the flight and her mother must have thrown herself over the child to protect her. Now the child is tugging on her mother's sleeve and calling out to her in soft Chinese, but the woman is unconscious.

Ky allows himself to relax just a little. The cause of the hysteria is still up ahead, but maybe he should make sure the chil—

From the right, a large amount of killing intent. It's not even trying to hide itself. The blond fills his sword with magic, making the blade flare electric white. So, this must the person responsible for the panic. He steps into view now. Unfortunately, he is obscured by the darkness of the night, but Ky can make out what seems to be draconic wings sprouting from the silhouette's back. A Gear? That should be impossible. But what else has wings like that?

The figure is slowly but surely moving closer. Ky realizes what he assumed to be wings are not wings at all, but more like writhing tentacles. The captain hefts his sword and places himself between the figure and the downed woman. He doesn't know how a Gear is moving without a Commander Gear controlling it, but he cannot allow innocent civilians to come to harm. Lightning crackles from the Thunderseal as Ky prepares to fight for justice and the good...

Ky pauses. How can he still go into battle following that mantra, knowing what he knows? How can his blade be sure and his arms steady when the foundation he fights on is shattered to pieces?

A horrifying scream splits the night as one of the tentacles grabs another person who fell during the scramble and crushes him to death.

The former leader of the Sacred Order shakes his head to clear it. For now, he will fight firmly and unyieldingly because he must. Ky will not succumb to his doubts for the sake of the woman and child behind him.

The figure steps into the light of a streetlamp, and the officer does a double take. The person who caused the uproar is...

"...Miss Rage?"

The former assassin is in horrible shape. She's covered in blood (probably not her own). There's a gash on her right cheek and what looks like bite marks on her left shoulder. Her eyes, usually as impassive as a still pond, are as feral as beast's. Her hair squirms like a thrashing nest of tentacles in a fashion reminiscent of, but exponentially worse than, earlier when Ky told the former killer about Eddie.

The person is Millia Rage, and yet she is not. Whereas Millia always carried herself with a natural grace and elegance, the stranger before Ky moves with all the refinement of a rabid animal. Millia was careful to show no emotion, a habit born of a naturally cold disposition and further tempered by a lifetime of death and killing. The beast facing Ky displays unbridled hostility.

No, Ky is convinced that whatever ungodly thing he's looking at is not Millia Rage. Something has happened to her, possessed her. Then, not only for the sake of the two vulnerable people behind him, but also for the real Millia Rage, Ky will defeat this Beast and bring the blonde back to her senses.

* * *

Millia is dreaming.

It's nighttime. She's walking down a dirt road flanked on both sides by short wooden buildings. There are people. They're running from something. A tendril of flaxen hair (her hair?) shoots out and impales a man as he attempts to flee. This action is being replicated by many other branches of hair. Defenceless people are struck down as they run for their lives. All around her are faces filled with fear and terror. But strangely enough, there's no screaming of dying men and hysterical cries of horror.

It's a strange and morbid dream, but oddly comforting.

The entire past month, she's been plagued with nightmares that leave her feeling disgruntled and unsettled. Despite the visions of slaughter and bloodletting, Miillia is at peace.

But it's strange. The dreams she had in the past were always revisitings of past memories, or at least based on experiences she's had before. Never before has she had such a vivid dream of a place she's never been to, doing things she's never done, nor thought of doing.

There's a group of tough looking men in front of her now. They're covered in tattoos and armed with chains and clubs. Gangsters, by the look of them.

They don't stand a chance.

Snaking blades of hair easily (literally) disarm them and sever their heads from their vertebrae in smooth, clean motions. A couple of the more magically inclined thugs hang back chanting spells, though their faces betray their fear. They cast fireballs at her in a desperate bid to stop their imminent deaths.

They never touch her.

The world turns into a dervish of incandescent red and orange and midnight navy. When it settles again, Millia stands where the magic users were, their butchered bodies lying in pieces around her feet.

She should probably be shirking and protesting at the sight of such a massacre, but everything feels so impersonal. It's like she's watching a movie from a million kilometers away. And her mind is so numb, as if she hasn't slept in two days. Not that sleep deprivation is a problem; the Guild has trained her to think sharply with minimal sleep. No, if Millia wants to, she can wake up from this dream. However, no such will exists within her right now. Somewhere within the Russian is knowledge that it's ok for her to just rest and for the moment.

Fighting those gangsters has bought enough time for most of the crowd to run away. There are, however, a couple of stragglers. These unfortunate remnants must have fell during their escape. Without mercy, lances of hair punctures them through their hearts. The dream progresses.

Up ahead, there is movement in the darkness of the night. The view shifts to focus on the movement. A woman lies protectively over a child, who is pulling on the woman's sleeve as if to urge the woman to get up.

 _Wait._

They're drawing closer. Her hair sways and writhes, forming jagged claws and sharp talons.

 _No, wait. Not a child!_

Then, someone steps in between her and the women. Millia knows him, but from where?

His blond hair is neat, but not exactly short. Determination shines in his piercing blue eyes. He wears a uniform of white and blue. In his right hand is a long sword, which sparks with electric energy.

Yes, she knows him. Ky. Ky Kiske. Finally, someone she doesn't mind seeing dead. She'll show him what she thinks of his judgemental morality and his appearance-loving holiness.

The IPF officer is moving his mouth, but he makes no sound. Eventually, he realizes talking is futile and grips his blade with both hands.

Hair comes crashing down on Ky's position. The former Crusader leaps backwards and unleashes a bolt lightning from his sword. The world dips, and the Stun Edge sails harmlessly over her head. Then, she's moving. Buildings and lampposts and dust pass by in a swirl while her hair slashes, thrusts, and jabs at Ky.

The captain frantically blocks, parries and dodges as best he can, but he cannot defend against so many avenues of attack. An arm of hair punches at Ky's feet, forcing him into the air. Another tendril slices at him, occupying his sword. Yet a third branch smashes at the blond horizontally. Ky twists to avoid it, but cannot move fast enough. The appendage of hair slams Ky into a streetlight, folding the metal as easily as a piece of cardboard. The man is a bit tougher, but not by much. Blood squirts out of his mouth and Thunderseal clatters out of his grip.

Ky rises slowly and shakily, leaning heavily on his sword. Millia is already advancing on him, but the captain shuts his eyes and leans against his sword for a while longer. An electric blue aura emanates from the Outrage and surrounds Ky as well.

Hair lunges out, but Ky is no longer there. The police officer is running at her. When did he get so close?

A hair-spear stabs out to intercept the blond. It doesn't touch him. Ky drops into a slide and ducks right under the hairy appendage. Buildings and rooftops tilt sideways, and then the world lurches upwards and Millia finds herself gazing at the stars of the night sky. Did Ky hit her? If he did, his blows don't hurt. Which makes sense, this is a dream after all.

Then, something akin to a pin prick stings her back.

That's strange though, she's not supposed to feel pain in a dream.

Something is very, very wrong.

* * *

"Miss Rage!" Calls Ky. "Please come to your sense! Miss Rage!"

Millia continues advancing without paying any attention to his words.

"If you will not desist, I will use force to protect civilian lives."

It's as if the Slavic woman doesn't even hear him.

"Very well." Ky grasps his sword with both hands and lowers his center of gravity. "Please do not hold this against me, Miss Rage."

Hair comes crashing down on Ky's position. The IPF officer jumps backwards and launches a Stun Edge from the Thunderseal. Millia ducks under the blast of electricity and begins running at Ky. As she moves, her hair slashes, thrusts, and jabs at Ky.

Ky deflects a lance of hair from taking out his right eye, but the impact sends jolts up his arms and threatens to tear the sword from his hands. He cannot block for long against the monstrous strength of Millia's hair. The Frenchman breaks into a run, dodging as much as he can and parrying when he has to.

Ky finds himself out-ranged by Millia's hair. He knows the blonde ex-assassin can extend her hair to lengths surpassing the reach of Thunderseal, but doing so should require immense concentration and nullify her mobility, which should allow Ky to hit her with blasts of lightning. Yet Millia is moving as easy and swiftly as if her hair is not active at all. How can he restrain her?

An arm of hair punches at Ky's feet, forcing him into the air. Another tendril slices at him, occupying his sword. Yet a third branch smashes at the blond horizontally. Ky twists to avoid it, but cannot move fast enough. The appendage of hair slams into Ky's midsection. The captain is launched into a streetlight and the metal post folds as easily as a piece of cardboard. The man is a bit tougher, but not by much. Blood squirts out of his mouth and his vision blacks out for a second.

Ky rises slowly and shakily, leaning heavily on his sword. The world is spinning, and he feels sick. He's barely aware of Millia advancing on him. Ky has really underestimated the Russian. Whatever is possessing her is also increasing her control over her Forbidden Beast's power.

Wait...

Could it be the other way around? That her Beast is possessing her? It's not impossible. Back in his office, Millia's hair shaking and trembling without her command must have been a precursor to her current condition. If that is so, then the knight will not hold anything back. Against a lady, it is knightly courtesy which stays Ky from using his full strength. Against a monster, no such courtesy exists.

Electricity races from his arms into the Thunderseal. The Outrage returns the power back to him, magnified many times over. Ky is drawing out his full power via the sacred sword. It's not only his physical abilities that are being magnified. In this state, his mastery over electricity is strong that he can even detect his opponent's neural signals, allowing him to know what she's going to do before she even does it.

Hair lunges out, but Ky is no longer there. The police officer flows like liquid mercury and twists around the shafts of hair. He's running at her now, his sword blazing white with electricity. The distance between them seems to disappear in a split second.

A hair-spear stabs out to intercept the blond. It doesn't touch him. Ky drops into a slide and ducks right under the hairy appendage. His outstretched heel collides into Millia's left ankle, unbalancing her. Then, he rises and smashes his sword's pommel into her throat. Millia stumbles backwards, clutching her thorax, and forms blades of hair to defend her. Thanks to his amplified abilities, Ky's brain processes so quickly that the hair moves in slow motion. He weaves around the blades and ends up behind Millia. The lightning wielder slashes out and his weapon cuts into Millia's back while arcs of electricity snaps in its wake. The pain of a hundred volts, rather than the pain of being cut, causes the ex-assassin to scream. It's a demented cry, a full octave high than Millia's normal voice. There's no doubt about it, something is wrong with her.

The Beast possessing Millia roars and assails Ky with many arms of hair. Futile. The captain easily dodges and slaps her with the flat of his blade. The Beast is retreating now, but Ky is relentless. He pursues her doggedly, slashing away at her extremities. He's trying to incapacitate her, not kill her. With each slice, cut, and hit the Beast's control over the hair seems to weaken. Whole clumps of tresses fall limp and lifeless.

A spike of hair bursts out from the dirt road. The Beast must be trying to catch Ky by surprise. However, the former Crusader's reaction time is much too fast, and he flips over the jagged cone. He turns the momentum from the jump into a roll once he lands, allowing him to evade the two hair-pincers seeking to crush him. The roll takes Ky behind Millia, and he delivers a quick kick to the back of her knees, knocking her down. Then, the blond swordsman blasts her away with a discharge of lightning.

Ky waits for the Beast to rise again. It should be severely weakened, but not defeated yet. However, Millia's smoldering body shows no signs of movement. Something is wrong.

Suddenly, Ky detects neural impulses from the Beast. It's going to attack the woman and child!

Ky berates himself for being so clumsy as to knock the possessed Millia closer to the civilians with his last attack. There's no time to be wasting. Nothing short of killing Millia will stop her hair from wiping out that mother and her child. But there's one more alternative: Ky should be fast enough to reach them and block the attack.

The officer breaks into a sprint. His eyes are forced shut as he crosses the distance with lightning fast strides.

 _Please, be on time!_

Pain explodes from Ky's left shoulder where the spike of hair pierces him. His muscles loosen involuntarily, during which time a tendril of hair snakes in and toss the Thunderseal from his grip. But it's alright because he made it in time.

The electric swordsman manages to lift one eye open to gaze at the terrified face of the Chinese toddler before him. Her face is speckled with his blood, and her eyes are petrified with fright. The child buries her face in the crook of her mother's neck and cries in soft Chinese, " _ma-ma!_ " She's scared witless and wailing, but she's alive and well. That's all Ky can ask for.

The wounded officer rises from a kneeling position, unarmed and bleeding heavily. Millia advances shakily with her hair dangling from the usual side-ponytail she favors in battle.

This is bad. Without Thunderseal, Ky's powers won't be amplified anymore. In fact, the electric power surging through his limbs is already draining away, being steadily replaced by fatigue. He needs to end this battle quickly, but how?

* * *

Millia was hurt. In a dream. Something doesn't add up, but her head is so heavy, it's hard to think. Just have to take it one step at a time.

She was dreaming that she was in a unfamiliar place killing people. Then, she met Ky and he hit her, and it hurt. And if it hurts, then it's not a dream. But if the dream isn't a dream, then what is it? It can't be reality; that would mean she slaughtered hundreds of innocent people. Millia needs to wake up and put an end to this nightmare.

No, child. Rest.

What is that? A voice in her head? It's so soothing though. Maybe she can just...

The world goes spinning. Millia feels like someone slapped her in the face. It doesn't hurt too much, but it's enough to shake the drowsiness gripping her mind.

That's it! If she can just focus on the pain, then she can bring herself back to reality. A little cut on her left hand. A light gash on her right calf. Each fresh injury's pain is sharper than the pain of the previous wound. As the pain becomes starker, the world becomes closer. No longer is she simply observing events from a million kilometers away. Now, everything is nearer, like she's experiencing what she's seeing from inside her own body. But even though she can feel the pain from her body, she cannot control it yet.

A kick to the back of her knees forces Millia to kneel. Then, every muscle she has seizes as hundreds of volts fills her. So immense is the pain that Millia would scream, if she was capable of doing so.

As the blonde goes tumbling in the dirt road, she becomes aware of another presence at the edge of her mind. Is this the thing vying with her for control of her own body? Whatever it is, it...doesn't feel like an intruder. The Other's goal isn't to usurp Millia's autonomy and take control of her body, like Eddie. No, the presence is filled with gentleness, kindness, and sympathetic sorrow...is this what having a mother or older sister would be like? Maybe having someone who cares about her isn't so bad.

Millia finally stops rolling, and her eyes come to rest on two figures. One is a young woman with short, disheveled hair and covered in dust. The other is a little girl being held protectively in the woman's arms. The two of them must be mother and daugh—

!

Millia is aware of the thoughts of The Other. It can't harm Ky, so it's planning to attack these two! They're at the edge of her hairs range, but it'll reach.

From the minuscule connection of their minds, thoughts from The Other flood into Millia, and she understands. This Other desires nothing less than the total annihilation of all human life because The Other has deemed humanity to be responsible for Millia's suffering.

The Russian takes back everything she thought about coexistence. This Other isn't like a mother or older sister; it is an overprotective, obsessive, delusional psychopath like Zato.

Yet this Other is in control of her body and there's nothing Millia can do to stop it. Her mind is too frazzled to fight the presence, and she still can't move her body. Will she just have to sit and watch mother and daughter die?

"No!"

Sound, at last. Someone is shouting. His voice is rather high for a man, but what a voice it is: strong, authoritative, and colored with no small amount of desperation.

Something speeds past her, and she can feel the wind from his trail on her face.

Then, the woman and child are gone, covered by a back of white and blue and blood. The spike of hair meant to impale the two bystanders is buried in his left shoulder, from where spreads a rapidly growing stain of crimson. A tendril of hair snakes around his wrist and pries the sword from his hands.

Ky rises from his kneeling position. Even though he's heavily wounded and unarmed, his eyes blaze with courage and determination. In this moment, Millia finds herself caught in those pools of cerulean. Ky's eyes have always shone with intensity, but Millia had dismissed it as the foolish zeal of a naive youth. But if that is so, how can his eyes still look like this in this situation? How can he be so steadfast and unyielding in the face of death? No, Ky's devotion and dedication to his faith and his ideals is so deep and so real that he would lay down his life for them.

How foolish.

Yet Ky's foolishness is not one that makes Millia scoff, as it should. Instead, it's a different emotion which fills her heart. Happiness that such innocence actually exists in the world? No, it's something else. What is this feeling? This gentle warmth in her chest, which is satiating and yet fills her with longing? This flame in her breast which is comforting and yet so quickening?

Ky dashes at her. This time, Millia is able to discern the Other willing her hair to shoot out and stop him. This time, Millia is able to fight against that order. Her mane does not form a wall of lances and pikes to spear Ky as he rushes in. It remains as flat and lifeless as anyone else's as the blond knight wraps his arms around Millia in a big bear hug.

Thousands of volts flow from him to her and into the ground. The pain of the previous electrocutions does not even begin to compare with the current excruciating agony. Torment fills every fiber of Millia's body. It causes her toes to curl and dig into the soles of her boots. Her fists clench and grind so hard they tear the fabric of her gloves and bloody her palms. Her ears ache from the sound of her own screams, and boiling hot tears sting her eyes.

But even as the pain goes on and on, there is one thought in Millia's mind: she's back. No longer is the pain numbed or muted. The protests of every cell she possesses against the flow of electrons within her is clearing her mind and driving out the presence of The Other. Every second of agony she endures is a bit more cognition she regains. She can feel the night breeze blowing dust into her open wounds. She can feel the soreness of her throat from screaming. She can feel the strong arms holding her and the muscled chest she's being pressed against.

Sure, the sensations Millia is regaining are (mostly) unpleasant and uncomfortable, but it's proof that she's still alive. It's confirmation that she is in control of her body again. It's attestation that she's her own person. And that's the whole reason she left the Guild and started living this solitary life, isn't it?

Finally, the electricity stops and the hold around her loosens. Millia's muscles, weary and useless from abuse, are unable to support her weight and she collapses.

She doesn't touch the ground.

A firm arm wraps around the back of the ex-assassin's shoulders while a gentle hand grabs a hold of her own with an accompanying concerned outburst of "Miss Rage!" Ky's embrace is steady and warm, and Millia doesn't want him to ever let her go. The former killer almost snorts at herself; how can she think about such frivolous and trivial things at a time like this? Her mind must still be addled from the electrocution. Speaking of electrocution, Millia can make out the smell of ozone coming from the captain's clothes. She shouldn't be surprised; the taller man _was_ conducting electricity from him to her. But even with his natural affinity for lightning, channeling that much electricity for so long must have hurt for him as well.

"Miss Rage, are you all right? Miss Rage!" Millia shifts— _she_ shifts, and not The Other—to look at Ky's face through half-lidded eyes. Genuine concern (along with something a bit more undecipherable) fills Ky's cobalt eyes. He seriously cares for her well-being even though he's wounded and suffering too—and that by her doing. The uncomfortably pleasant warmth from earlier returns with a vengeance.

Millia raises an arm to wipe a trickle of drying blood from Ky's chin with her thumb. "Why did you hold back?" croaks the blonde Russian. "You could've ended this fight—you could've ended me—so much faster if you had not held back."

"Hold back?" asks Ky with a blink of confusion. "Truly I tell you, I did not hold back even a bit of my full power during that battle."

Millia's lips curl upwards in a wry grin. She knew the well-intentioned knight would not understand what she meant. "I know you were fighting with your full power. But with your speed advantage, you could have easily killed me. Or at the very least, you could have knocked me out."

"My sword cuts down evil, not women. And as for knocking you out, do you really expect me to treat a lady like that?" Is it just her, or did something akin to guilt or doubt flash through Ky's eyes at the word 'evil'?

"You really are an idiot," breathes Millia. Her brain feels so light. Is that the reason she's saying these weird things? Well, it doesn't matter if she means it. "That's what I hate the most about you, did you know? Every time you open your stupid mouth, I feel like I don't have to fight anymore. Like I'll be safe as long as I stay by your side..." The honey-haired ex-assassin goes limp in Ky's arms. She does not have an iota of energy left in her.

* * *

Ky has an idea that will stop Millia, but it's pretty dangerous (to her, not to him). It's also rather brutal, but he has no other choice. Ky begins gathering his lightning-magic while charging at the possessed woman. Contrary to the officer's expectations, Millia's mane does not form a palisade of barbs and spikes to spear Ky as he rushes in. It remains as flat and lifeless as anyone else's as the former Crusader wraps his arms around Millia in a big bear hug and unleashes all his built-up energy.

Thousands of volts flow from him to her and into the ground. Even though Ky's natural proclivity is for lightning, channeling this much energy is painful. All his muscles contract three times harder than they do during his worst cramp. But if it hurts so much for him, how much worse is it for the unprotected Millia Rage?

It must be absolutely excruciating, if her screams are anything to judge by. It sounds like she's screaming her life out. It's the kind of howl that tears one's larynx and makes raw one's throat. And above all, the shriek is an inhuman shriek. But with every passing second the pitch drops a tone and Ky can see Millia's eyes rolling back to their normal positions. Within ten seconds, it's over; all the electricity Ky had stored up is discharged and Millia stops thrashing in Ky's hold. All of the captain's muscles relax at once, and the ex-assassin he was holding drops like a sack of bricks.

"Miss Rage!"

Luckily Ky is still able to react quickly enough to grab her hand and snake an arm around her shoulders to support her. The sudden weight is too much for his wearied muscles, and the IPF officer must kneel to maintain his balance.

Even with the electrocution over, Ky cannot stop worrying over Millia's health. She may be breathing—he can feel the steady expansion and contraction of her body—but that is not indicative of her being all right. There can be all sorts of unseen complications: paralysis, vegetation, muscle damage, etc. Ky must make sure the blonde is all right, he cannot forgive himself if he maims a lady.

"Miss Rage, are you all right? Miss Rage!" the electric swordsman calls as he lightly shakes the woman in his arms. Millia turns to look at him and for a second, Ky becomes lost in her beauty. Millia's hair, now no longer being controlled, forms a golden carpet perfectly framing her slim body. Her skin, though discolored with bruises, stained with blood and covered with dust, is as pale as cream and as smooth as silk. She stares at him with half-lidded pools of pure azure, and her full lips, slightly parted, makes her look so vulnerable yet enticing. Ky mentally scolds himself for ogling the Russian when he should be checking to make sure she is all right.

Then, Millia's next action completely catches him by surprise: she raises an arm to wipe a trickle of drying blood from Ky's chin with her thumb. "Why did you hold back?" croaks the blonde Russian. "You could've ended this fight—you could've ended me—so much faster if you had not held back."

"Hold back?" Whatever is she talking about? Does she think that he is so strong that the strength he used in the battle was only a part of his true ability? "Truly I tell you, I did not hold back even a bit of my full power during that battle."

Millia...smiles? Ky has never seen the usually emotionless woman smile before. It's downright dazzling, and Ky forgets to breathe for a second.

But surely this is a sign that Millia really isn't all right. That hazy look in her eyes. That resigned smile on her face. Ky has seen the same expression many times as he held dying comrades in their final moments on earth. This is bad; she needs medical attention at once.

"I know you were fighting with your full power," whispers the crystal eyed woman. "But with your speed advantage, you could have easily killed me. Or at the very least, you could have knocked me out."

"My sword cuts down evil, not women. And as for knocking you out, do you really expect me to treat a lady like that?" Ky internally flinches a bit at the word 'evil.' Can he really claim to be on the side of justice given recent developments? Ky may have blurted out his answer without really thinking, but these are his true feelings. He still wants to fight for justice, and he still wants to fight for the good of the people. His only problem is to reconcile these two opposing desires.

"You really are an idiot," breathes Millia. "That's what I hate the most about you, did you know? Every time you open your stupid mouth, I feel like I don't have to fight anymore. Like I'll be safe as long as I stay by your side..." Any confusion or flattery that Millia's words might have caused are drowned out by a wave of panic as the honey-haired ex-assassin goes limp in Ky's arms.

"Miss Rage? Miss Rage! You have to hold on!" The blond captain hurriedly places his fingers on Millia's neck to check for a pulse. Thankfully, it's still going strong. At any rate, Ky had better get the unconscious blonde to the infirmary.

Thunderseal's wielder drapes Millia's arm over his shoulders and wraps his own arm around her waist. He takes a couple of breaths before rising. The sudden strain puts pressure on his own wounds and elicits a sharp gasp. A moment of light-headedness affects the Frenchman, but he manages to remain standing. And after the bout is over, Ky hobbles over to retrieve his sword before limping back to his car. Each step feels like he's trudging with lead weights on his feet and each breath brings a sharp pain from his sides.

But step by step, the captain is able to hoist Millia back to the police cruiser. After securing the comatose blonde, Ky collapses into the driver's seat. Blood-loss and exhaustion makes the drive back nearly impossible and, as soon as the blond sees the officer in charge of the motorpool heading towards the cruiser, he falls into black, dreamless sleep.

* * *

 **I swear I wrote, proofread and re-wrote this chapter so many times it's not even funny. I get too hung up on little things, try to perfect things and then get burnt out and delay a chapter by two weeks. I guess this is what drafts are for. FeelsBadMan**


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